Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Crustal Structure of the Mesopotamian Plain, East of Iraq

Journal Article · · Tectonics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2020tc006225· OSTI ID:2446783
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5]
  1. University of Basrah (Iraq)
  2. Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan (Iran)
  3. Department of Earth Sciences Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) Zanjan Iran
  4. Univ. of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR (United States)
  5. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
The crustal structure of Iraq was investigated through analyzing teleseismic data from 12 new seismic stations. Three seismic stations are located within the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt, and nine are within the Mesopotamian Plain. Joint inversion of P wave receiver function and Rayleigh wave dispersion data were employed to resolve S wave velocity structure models beneath each station. Combining these models with available Moho depths within and around the study area reveals that the Moho depth is smoothly increasing from the Arabian platform toward the Zagros Mountains. Further, an exceptional deeper root is observed near the eastern edge of the Mesopotamian Plain where sedimentary pile is the thickest. This root was interpreted as a structure inherited from the successive Mesozoic rifting of the NE Arabian platform enhanced by sedimentary loading and progressive subsidence. A low-velocity uppermost mantle was observed beneath the Arabian Foredeep attesting the existence of a low-strength lithospheric mantle beneath the region southwest from the Zagros deformation front. The weak rheology of the uppermost mantle may have allowed local sinking of the crust and deepening of the Moho boundary due to vertical loading and the Late Miocene lateral contraction.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
2446783
Report Number(s):
LLNL--JRNL-841998; 1064118
Journal Information:
Tectonics, Journal Name: Tectonics Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 39; ISSN 0278-7407
Publisher:
Wiley/American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (40)

The Neotethyan Sanandaj‐Sirjan zone of Iran as an archetype for passive margin‐arc transitions journal March 2016
The role of the Zagros orogeny in slowing down Arabia‐Eurasia convergence since ~5 Ma journal May 2013
Crustal structure of Northwest Zagros (Kermanshah) and Central Iran (Yazd and Isfahan) using teleseismic Ps converted phases journal January 2011
Crustal thickness variations in the Zagros continental collision zone (Iran) from joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion journal September 2013
A new tectono sedimentary framework of the Jurassic succession in the Merjan oil field, Central Iraq journal August 2019
Seismicity and recent stress regime of Diyala City, Iraq–Iran border journal July 2016
Master “blind” thrust faults hidden under the Zagros folds: active basement tectonics and surface morphotectonics journal January 1995
Crustal structure of the northern Arabian platform inferred using spectral ratio method journal August 2002
Crustal structure of the Arabian plate: new constraints from the analysis of teleseismic receiver functions journal March 2005
A method for mapping crustal deformation and anisotropy with receiver functions and first results from USArray journal September 2014
Khasib and Tannuma oil sources, East Baghdad oil field, Iraq journal April 2011
Synchronous deformation on orogenic plateau margins: Insights from the Arabia–Eurasia collision journal November 2013
The south Zagros suture zone in teleseismic images journal January 2017
Moho depth variation in southern California from teleseismic receiver functions journal February 2000
Interactions between thin‐ and thick‐skinned tectonics at the northwestern front of the Jura fold‐and‐thrust belt (eastern France) journal October 2008
Comparisons of the kinematics and deep structures of the Zagros and Himalaya and of the Iranian and Tibetan plateaus and geodynamic implications journal June 2010
The Zagros core: Deformation of the continental lithospheric mantle journal November 2012
Mantle Transition Zone Thickness Beneath the Middle East: Evidence for Segmented Tethyan Slabs, Delaminated Lithosphere, and Lower Mantle Upwelling journal June 2018
Deep crustal structure and flexure of the Arabian Plate Beneath the Zagros collisional mountain belt as inferred from gravity observations journal June 1986
Joint inversion of receiver function and surface wave dispersion observations journal October 2000
Crustal and uppermost mantle shear wave velocity structure beneath the Middle East from surface wave tomography journal February 2020
Underplating along the northern portion of the Zagros suture zone, Iran journal April 2017
An up-to-date crustal deformation map of Iran using integrated campaign-mode and permanent GPS velocities journal January 2019
Traveltimes for global earthquake location and phase identification journal May 1991
Seismological evidence for crustal-scale thrusting in the Zagros mountain belt (Iran) journal July 2006
Lithospheric structure of the continent-continent collision zone: eastern Turkey journal June 2007
Seismic structure of Kuwait journal July 2007
A strong seismic velocity contrast in the shallow mantle across the Zagros collision zone (Iran) journal October 2007
Crustal structure of Iraq from receiver functions and surface wave dispersion: implications for understanding the deformation history of the Arabian-Eurasian collision journal March 2008
Crustal structure of the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya and southern Tibet: Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya journal December 2010
Calcite twinning constraints on late Neogene stress patterns and deformation mechanisms in the active Zagros collision belt journal January 2007
Asymmetric ocean basins journal January 2010
Retrodeforming the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone: Age of collision versus magnitude of continental subduction journal March 2013
Crustal density structure of the northwestern Iranian Plateau journal December 2019
Shear-Wave Velocity Tomography of the Lithosphere-Asthenosphere System beneath the Iranian Plateau journal November 2014
Computer Programs in Seismology: An Evolving Tool for Instruction and Research journal October 2013
Iterative deconvolution and receiver-function estimation journal October 1999
Megaseismic section across the northeastern slope of the Arabian Plate, Iraq journal October 2006
Geochemical characterisation, volumetric assessment and shale-oil/gas potential of the Middle Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous source rocks of NE Arabian Plate journal July 2015
Origin of Some Transversal Linear Features of NE-SW Trend in Iraq, and Their Geological Characters journal January 2014

Similar Records

Crustal Structure of Iraq from Receiver Functions and Surface Wave Dispersion
Technical Report · Thu Aug 31 00:00:00 EDT 2006 · OSTI ID:894780
Ground Truth, Magnitude Calibration and Regional Phase Propagation and Detection in the Middle East and Horn of Africa
Conference · Sun Jul 08 00:00:00 EDT 2007 · OSTI ID:965952
Using a 1D Radially Symmetric Coda Envelope Model for Robust Moment Magnitude (Mw) Estimation in Iraq’s Tectonically Diverse Zones
Journal Article · Tue Sep 24 20:00:00 EDT 2024 · Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America · OSTI ID:2476891

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
Mesopotamian Plain
Zagros collision
receiver functions
surface wave dispersion
velocity structure