GIS-Based analysis of relative tectonic activity along the kazerun fault zone, zagros mountains, iran: insights from data mining of Geomorphic Data

Abstract

This paper tests a data mining method for evaluation of the “IRTA” (Index of Relative Tectonic Activity) to investigate the impact of active tectonics on geomorphic processes and landscape development. Based upon K-means clustering of six basin-related geomorphic indices (the hypsometric integral, basin asymmetric factor, drainage density, basin shape ratio, mean axial slope of the channel and topographic roughness) that represent the relative strength of active tectonic deformation on topography and morphology, the relative tectonic activity along the Kazerun Fault Zone in the Zagros Mountains of Iran may be classified into low, moderate and high relative tectonic activity zones. The results allow the identification of the clusters of similarly deformed areas related to relative tectonic activity. The utilization of geomorphic parameters as well as IRTA with comparison to the field observations exhibit change in relative tectonic activities mostly corresponding to the change in mechanism of the prominent fault zones in the study area.

Keywords

active tectonics / geomorphic index / K-means clustering / Kazerun Fault Zone / Zagros / Iran

References

[1] Alavi M. Tectonostratigraphic Evolution of the Zagrosides of Iran. Geology, 1980, 8(3): 144-149.

[2] Alavi M. Tectonics of the Zagros Orogenic Belt of Iran: New Data and Interpretations. Tectonophysics, 1994, 229(3): 211-238.

[3] Alavi M. Regional Stratigraphy of the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt of Iran and Its Proforeland Evolution. American Journal of Science, 2004, 304(1): 1-20.

[4] Alipoor R., Poorkermani M., Zare M., . Active Tectonic Assessment around Rudbar Lorestan Dam Site, High Zagros Belt (SW of Iran). Geomorphology, 2011, 128(1): 1-14.

[5] Allen M. B., Armstrong H. A. Arabia-Eurasia Collision and the Forcing of Mid-Cenozoic Global Cooling. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2008, 265(1): 52-58.

[6] Allen M., Jackson J., Walker R. Late Cenozoic Reorganization of the Arabia-Eurasia Collision and the Comparison of Short-Term and Long-Term Deformation Rates. Tectonics, 2004, 23 2 TC2008

[7] Ascione A., Cinque A., Miccadei E., . The Plio-Quaternary Uplift of the Apennine Chain: New Data from the Analysis of Topography and River Valleys in Central Italy. Geomorphology, 2008, 102(1): 105-118.

[8] Authemayou C., Bellier O., Chardon D., . Role of the Kazerun Fault System in Active Deformation of the Zagros Fold-and-Thrust Belt (Iran). Comptes Rendus Geoscience, 2005, 337(5): 539-545.

[9] Azor A., Keller E. A., Yeats R. S. Geomorphic Indicators of Active Fold Growth: South Mountain-Oak Ridge Ventura Basin, Southern California. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 2002, 114(6): 745-753.

[10] Bação F., Lobo V., Painho M. Self-Organizing Maps as Substitutes for K-Means Clustering. Computational Science–ICCS, 2005, 476-483.

[11] Bachmanov D. M., Trifonov V. G., Hessami K. T., . Active Faults in the Zagros and Central Iran. Tectonophysics, 2004, 380(3): 221-241.

[12] Bahrami S. Morphotectonic Evolution of Triangular Facets and Wine-Glass Valleys in the Noakoh Anticline, Zagros, Iran: Implications for Active Tectonics. Geomorphology, 2012, 159: 37-49.

[13] Baker C., Jackson J., Priestley K. Earthquakes on the Kazerun Line in the Zagros Mountains of Iran: Strike-Slip Faulting within a Fold-and-Thrust Belt. Geophysical Journal International, 1993, 115(1): 41-61.

[14] Berberian M. Master “Blind” Thrust Faults Hidden under the Zagros Folds: Active Basement Tectonics and Surface Morphotectonics. Tectonophysics, 1995, 241(3): 193-224.

[15] Berberian M., King G. C. P. Towards a Paleogeography and Tectonic Evolution of Iran. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 1981, 18(2): 210-265.

[16] Bretis B., Bartl N., Grasemann B. Lateral Fold Growth and Linkage in the Zagros Fold and Thrust Belt (Kurdistan, NE Iraq). Basin Research, 2011, 23: 615-630.

[17] Bull W. B., McFadden L. D. Doehring D. O. Tectonic Geomorphology North and South of the Garlock Fault, California. Geomorphology in Arid Regions. Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Geomorphology Symposium, 1977 Binghamton: State University of New York, 115-138.

[18] Burbank D. W., Anderson R. S. Tectonic Geomorphology. Blackwell Science, 2012

[19] Canon P. J. Generation of Explicit Parameters for a Quantitative Geomorphic Study of the Mill Creek Drainage Basin. Oklahoma Geology Notes, 1976, 36(1): 3-16.

[20] Chen Y. C., Sung Q. C., Cheng K. Y. Along-Strike Variations of Morphotectonic Features in the Western Foothills of Taiwan: Tectonic Implications Based on Stream-Gradient and Hypsometric Analysis. Geomorphology, 2003, 56(1): 109-137.

[21] Clare A. P., Cohen D. R. A Comparison of Unsupervised Neural Networks and K-Means Clustering in the Analysis of Multi-Element Stream Sediment Data. Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis, 2001, 1(2): 119-134.

[22] Dehbozorgi M., Pourkermani M., Arian M., . Quantitative Analysis of Relative Tectonic Activity in the Sarvestan Area, Central Zagros, Iran. Geomorphology, 2010, 121: 329-341.

[23] Delcaillau B., Amrhar M., Namous M., . Transpressional Tectonics in the Marrakech High Atlas: Insight by the Geomorphic Evolution of Drainage Basins. Geomorphology, 2011, 134(3): 344-362.

[24] Delcaillau B., Deffontaines B., Floissac L., . Morphotectonic Evidence from Lateral Propagation of an Active Frontal Fold, Pakuashan Anticline, Foothills of Taiwan. Geomorphology, 1998, 24(4): 263-290.

[25] Dietrich W. E., Wilson C. J., Montgomery D. R., . Erosion Thresholds and Land Surface Morphology. Geology, 1992, 20(8): 675-679.

[26] Dietrich W. E., Wilson C. J., Montgomery D. R., . Analysis of Erosion Thresholds, Channel Networks, and Landscape Morphology Using a Digital Terrain Model. The Journal of Geology, 1993, 101: 259-278.

[27] El-Hamdouni R., Irigaray C., Fernández T., . Assessment of Relative Active Tectonics, Southwest Border of the Sierra Nevada (Southern Spain). Geomorphology, 2008, 96(1): 150-173.

[28] Faghih A., Nourbakhsh A. Appraisal of Relative Tectonic Activity along the Kazerun Fault Zone, Zagros Mountains, Iran: Insight from Spatial Analysis of Geomorphic Indices. Geological Journal, 2014

[29] Faghih A., Samani B., Kusky T. M., . Geomorphologic Assessment of Relative Tectonic Activity in the Maharlou Lake Basin, Zagros Mountains of Iran. Geological Journal, 2012, 47: 30-40.

[30] Giaconia F., Booth-Rea G., Martínez-Martínez J. M., . Geomorphic Analysis of the Sierra Cabrera, an Active pop-up in the Constrictional Domain of Conjugate Strike-Slip Faults: The Palomares and Polopos Fault Zones (Eastern Betics, SE Spain). Tectonophysics, 2012, 580(10): 27-42.

[31] Gregory K. J. D. W. Drainage Basin Form and Process: A Geomorphological Approach, 1973 London: Arnold

[32] Gregory K. J., Gardiner V. Drainage Density and Climate. Zeitschrift fur Geomorphologie, 1975, 19(3): 287-298.

[33] Han Z., Wu L., Ran Y., . The Concealed Active Tectonics and Their Characteristics as Revealed by Drainage Density in the North China Plain (NCP). Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 2003, 21(9): 989-998.

[34] Hatzfeld D., Molnar P. Comparisons of the Kinematics and Deep Structures of the Zagros and Himalaya and of the Iranian and Tibetan Plateaus and Geodynamic Implications. Reviews of Geophysics, 2010, 48 2 RG2005

[35] Haynes S. J., McQuillan H. Evolution of the Zagros Suture Zone, Southern Iran. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 1974, 85(5): 739-744.

[36] Hessami K., Jamali F., Tabassi H. Major Active Faults of Iran. IIEES, 2003

[37] Hou J., Han M. A Morphometric Method to Determine Neotectonic Activity of the Weihe Basin in Northwestern China. Episodes, 1997, 20(2): 95-99.

[38] Huyghe P., Foata M., Deville E., . Channel Profiles through the Active Thrust Front of the Southern Barbados Prism. Geology, 2004, 32(5): 429-432.

[39] Jain A. K. Data Clustering: 50 Years beyond K-Means. Pattern Recognition Letters, 2010, 31(8): 651-666.

[40] Jain A. K., Murty M. N., Flynn P. J. Data Clustering: A Review. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), 1999, 31(3): 264-323.

[41] Keller E. A. Wallace R. E. Investigation of Active Tectonics: Use of Surficial Earth Processes. Active Tectonics, Studies in Geophysics, 1986 Washington, D. C.: National Academy Press, 136-147.

[42] Keller E. A., Gurrola L., Tierney T. E. Geomorphic Criteria to Determine Direction of Lateral Propagation of Reverse Faulting and Folding. Geology, 1999, 27: 515-518.

[43] Keller E. A., Pinter N. Active Tectonics: Earthquakes, Uplift, and Landscape, 2002 New Jersey: Prentice Hall

[44] Kirby E., Whipple K. X. Quantifying Differential Rock-Uplift Rates via Stream Profile Analysis. Geology, 2001, 29(5): 415-418.

[45] Kirby E., Whipple K. X. Expression of Active Tectonics in Erosional Landscapes. Journal of Structural Geology, 2012, 44: 54-75.

[46] Klinkenberg B. Fractals and Morphometric Measures: Is there a Relationship. Geomorphology, 1992, 5(1): 5-20.

[47] Koyi H. Experimental Modeling of Role of Gravity and Lateral Shortening in Zagros Mountain Belt. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 1988, 72(11): 1381-1394.

[48] Kusky T. M., Toraman E., Raharimahefa T., . Active Tectonics of the Alaotra-Ankay Graben System, Madagascar: Possible Extension of Somalian-African Diffusive Plate Boundary. Gondwana Research, 2010, 18(2): 274-294.

[49] Liao S. H., Chu P. H., Hsiao P. Y. Data Mining Techniques and Applications—A Decade Review from 2000 to 2011. Expert Systems with Applications, 2012, 39(12): 11303-11311.

[50] Lykoudi E., Angelaki M. The Contribution of the Morphometric Parameters of a Hydrographic Network to the Investigation of the Neotectonic Activity: An Application to the Upper Acheloos River. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Congress, Thessaloniki. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece, 2004, 36: 1084-1092.

[51] MacQueen J. Some Methods for Classification and Analysis of Multivariate Observations. Proceedings of the Fifth Berkeley Symposium on Mathematical Statistics and Probability, 1967, 1(14): 281-297.

[52] Mahmood S. A., Gloaguen R. Appraisal of Active Tectonics in Hindu Kush: Insights from DEM Derived Geomorphic Indices and Drainage Analysis. Geoscience Frontiers, 2012, 3(4): 407-428.

[53] Mayer L. Tectonic Geomorphology of Escarpments and Mountain Fronts. Active Tectonics, 1986 Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 125-135.

[54] Melosh B. L., Keller E. A. Effects of Active Folding and Reverse Faulting on Stream Channel Evolution, Santa Barbara Fold Belt, California. Geomorphology, 2013, 186: 119-135.

[55] Merritts D., Vincent K. R. Geomorphic Response of Coastal Streams to Low, Intermediate, and High Rates of Uplift, Medocino Triple Junction Region, Northern California. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 1989, 101(11): 1373-1388.

[56] Molin P., Pazzaglia F. J., Dramis F. Geomorphic Expression of Active Tectonics in a Rapidly-Deforming Forearc, Sila Massif, Calabria, Southern Italy. American Journal of Science, 2004, 304(7): 559-589.

[57] Montgomery D. R., Dietrich W. E. Kirkby M. J. Landscape Dissection and Drainage Area—Slope Thresholds. Process Models in Theoretical Geomorphology, 1994 New York: Wiley, 417.

[58] Pánek T. The Use of Morphometric Parameters in Tectonic Geomorphology (on the Example of the Western Beskydy Mts.). Geographica, 2004, 1: 111-126.

[59] Pedrera A., Pérez-Peña J. V., Galindo-Zaldívar J., . Testing the Sensitivity of Geomorphic Indices in Areas of Low-Rate Active Folding (Eastern Betic Cordillera, Spain). Geomorphology, 2009, 105(3): 218-231.

[60] Pérez-Peña J. V., Azañón J. M., Azor A. CalHypso: An ArcGIS Extension to Calculate Hypsometric Curves and Their Statistical Moments: Applications to Drainage Basin Analysis in SE Spain. Computers and Geosciences, 2009, 35(6): 1214-1223.

[61] Pérez-Peña J. V., Azor A., Azañón J. M., . Active Tectonics in the Sierra Nevada (Betic Cordillera, SE Spain): Insights from Geomorphic Indexes and Drainage Pattern Analysis. Geomorphology, 2010, 119(1): 74-87.

[62] Pike R. J., Wilson S. E. Elevation-Relief Ratio, Hypsometric Integral and Geomorphic Area-Altitude Analysis. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 1971, 82(4): 1079-1084.

[63] Pirkle F. L., Howell J. A., Wecksung G. W., . An Example of Cluster Analysis Applied to a Large Geologic Data Set: Aerial Radiometric Data from Copper Mountain, Wyoming. Journal of the International Association for Mathematical Geology, 1984, 16(5): 479-498.

[64] Ramirez-Herrera M. T. Geomorphic Assessment of Active Tectonics in the Acambay Graben, Mexican Volcanic Belt. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 1998, 23(4): 317-332.

[65] Ramsey L. A., Walker R. T., Jackson J. Fold Evolution and Drainage Development in the Zagros Mountains of Fars Province, SE Iran. Basin Research, 2008, 20: 23-48.

[66] Rebai N., Achour H., Chaabouni R., . DEM and GIS Analysis of Sub-Watersheds to Evaluate Relative Tectonic Activity: A Case Study of the North–South Axis (Central Tunisia). Earth Science Informatics, 2013, 6(4): 187-198.

[67] Ricou L. E., Braud J., Brunn J. H. The Zagros. Occasional Memoire Geological Society of France, 1977, 8: 33-52.

[68] Rockwell T. K., Keller E. A., Johnson D. L. Morisawa M. Tectonic Geomorphology of Alluvial Fans and Mountain Fronts near Ventura, California. Tectonic Geomorphology. Proceedings of the 15th Annual Geomorphology Symposium, 1985 Boston: Allen and Unwin Publishers, 183-207.

[69] Safaei H. The Continuation of the Kazerun Fault System across the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone (Iran). Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 2009, 35(5): 391-400.

[70] Schumm S. A. Stoddart D. R. Drainage Density: Problems of Prediction. Process and Form in Geomorphology, 1997 London: Routledge, 432.

[71] Sepehr M., Cosgrove J. W. Role of the Kazerun Fault Zone in the Formation and Deformation of the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt, Iran. Tectonics, 2005, 24 5 TC5005

[72] Silva P. G., Goy J. L., Zazo C., . Fault Generated Mountain Fronts in Southeast Spain: Geomorphologic Assessment of Tectonic and Earthquake Activity. Geomorphology, 2003, 50(1): 203-226.

[73] Stöcklin J. Possible Ancient Continental Margins in Iran. The Geology of Continental Margins, 1974 New York: Springer-Verlag, 873-887.

[74] Strahler A. N. Hypsometric (Aea-Altitude) Analysis of Erosional Topography. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 1952, 63(11): 1117-1142.

[75] Tachikawa T., Hato M., Kaku M., . Characteristics of ASTER GDEM Version 2. In Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS). IEEE International, 2011, 3657-3660.

[76] Takin M. Iranian Geology and Continental Drift in the Middle East. Nature, 1972, 235: 147-150.

[77] Talbot C. J., Alavi M. The Past of a Future Syntaxis across the Zagros. Geological Society of London, Special Publications, 1996, 100(1): 89-109.

[78] Talebian M., Jackson J. Offset on the Main Recent Fault of NW Iran and Implications for the Late Cenozoic Tectonics of the Arabia-Eurasia Collision Zone. Geophysical Journal International, 2002, 150(2): 422-439.

[79] Talebian M., Jackson J. A Reappraisal of Earthquake Focal Mechanisms and Active Shortening in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. Geophysical Journal International, 2004, 156(3): 506-526.

[80] Tatar M., Hatzfeld D., Ghafory-Ashtiany M. Tectonics of the Central Zagros (Iran) Deduced from Microearthquake Seismicity. Geophysical Journal International, 2004, 156(2): 255-266.

[81] Tavakoli F., Walpersdorf A., Authemayou C., . Distribution of the Right-Lateral Strike-Slip Motion from the Main Recent Fault to the Kazerun Fault System (Zagros, Iran): Evidence from Present-Day GPS Velocities. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2008, 275(3): 342-347.

[82] Tchalenko J. S., Berberian M. Dasht-e Baȳaz Fault, Iran: Earthquake and Earlier Related Structures in Bed Rock. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 1975, 86(5): 703-709.

[83] Tucker G. E., Catani F., Rinaldo A., . Statistical Analysis of Drainage Density from Digital Terrain Data. Geomorphology, 2001, 36(3): 187-202.

[84] Vernant P., Nilforoushan F., Hatzfeld D., . Present-Day Crustal Deformation and Plate Kinematics in the Middle East Constrained by GPS Measurements in Iran and Northern Oman. Geophysical Journal International, 2004, 157(1): 381-398.

[85] Wagstaff K., Cardie C., Rogers S., . Constrained K-Means Clustering with Background Knowledge. ICML, 2001, 1: 577-584.

[86] Wells S. G., Bullard T. F., Menges T. M., . Regional Variations in Tectonic Geomorphology along Segmented Convergent Plate Boundary, Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Geomorphology, 1988, 1(3): 239-265.

[87] Yizhou W., Huiping Z., Dewen Z., . Controls on Decadal Erosion Rates in Qilian Shan: Re-evaluation and New Insights into Landscape Evolution in North-East Tibet. Geomorphology, 2014, 223: 117-128.

[88] Zhenhua L. V., Hu Y., Zhong H., . Parallel KMeans Clustering of Remote Sensing Images Based on Mapreduce. Web Information Systems and Mining, 2010, 162-170.