Open Journal of Geology, 2015, 5, 718-726
Published Online October 2015 in SciRes. http://www.scirp.org/journal/ojg
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojg.2015.510063
How to cite this paper: Razaghian, G. and Arian, M. (2015) The Emergent Salt Diapirs in the East Zagros, Iran. Open Journal
of Geology, 5, 718-726. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojg.2015.510063
The Emergent Salt Diapirs in the
East Zagros, Iran
Ghazaleh Razaghian
1*
, Mehran Arian
2
1
Department of Geology, Damavand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damavand, Iran
2
Department of Geology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Email:
*
gh_razaghian@yahoo.com
Received 23 August 2015; accepted 25 October 2015; published 29 October 2015
Copyright © 2015 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Abstract
The emergent salt diapirs of the east Zagros, Iran have been investigated by their structural posi-
tions. The study area is including of Zagros orogeny belt and Persian Gulf that both of them have
been formed on northeastern part of Arabian plate. There are 84 emergent salt diapirs that origi-
nated from Hormuz formation with Infra-Cambrian to Cambrian age. Based on location, shape and
orientation of the emergent salt domes in the east Zagros hinterland and Persian Gulf foreland ba-
sin, internal motivation forces in the salt deposits has been predominant compared to later tec-
tonic forces. In the other words, most of the emergent salt diapirs are pre-orogenic diapirs and
they had got prominent role as pines in determining the shape and location of next structures
during to the Zagros orogeny. Finally, Neogene continental collision has a supplementary role to
diapirism and salt reactivation. However there are an evidence to syn-orogenic emergent diapirs
that they have got an important role in the progressive deformation.
Keywords
Emergent, Diapirs, Tectonics, Zagros, Iran
1. Introduction
Investigation of emergent salt diapirs in the east Zagros region in Iran (Figure 1), is the main purpose of this re-
search. Dominant structural trend in the study area is E-W. From tectonics point of view, it contains the overth-
rusted and simple folded belts of Zagros that formed on the northeastern part of Arabian plate’s passive margin
[1]-[3]. Zagros Mountains have been continued to East Taurus Mountains in Turkey and have named Za-
gros-East Taurus hinterland. Zagros-East Taurus hinterland is an external platform (fold and thrust belt) in north
*
Corresponding author.