967 Tectonic Significance of the Thrust Parallel-Normal Faulting In
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Uluslararası Katılımlı Uluslararası Katılımlı 72. Türkiye Jeoloji Kurultayı Türkiye 28 Ocak–01 Şubat 2019, Ankara, Türkiye Jeoloji Kurultayı 72nd Geological Congress of Turkey with international participation 28 January–01 February 2019, Ankara, Turkey Tectonic Significance of the Thrust Parallel-Normal Faulting in the Northern Makran Accretionary Wedge of Iran and Pakistan İran ve Pakistan’da Yer Alan Makran Yığışım Karmaşığının Kuzeyinde Bindirmeye Paralel Normal Faylanmanın Tektonik Önemi Gürol Seyitoğlu1, Moosarezza Toori2, Korhan Esat1, Bülent Kaypak3 1Dept. of Geological Eng., Tectonics Research Group, Ankara University, Gölbaşı, Ankara, Türkiye 2Arazi, 4th Section, 21st Street, No: 123, Zanjan, Iran 3Dept. of Geophysical Eng., Ankara University, Gölbaşı, Ankara, Türkiye ([email protected]) Abstract: The recent seismicity indicates that the normal fault induced intermediate-depth earthquakes occur along with the thrust-related earthquakes at the Makran region. The focal mechanism solutions of the earthquakes and the geological data show that the strikes of normal faults and thrusts are nearly parallel to each other. This paper suggests that some of the normal fault-related earthquakes in Makran region indicate the normal faulted northern margin of a pinched crustal wedge structure. The Jaz Murian and Mashkel depressions are located on the hanging wall of this margin. This suggestion differs from the classical view that interprets all normal fault-related earthquakes in this region as intraslab earthquakes in the northerly subdu- cting oceanic lithosphere. Keywords: Seismicity and tectonics, subduction zone processes, pinched crustal wedge, In- dian ocean Öz: Makran bölgesinin yakın zamandaki depremselliği, normal fayla ilişkili orta derinlikteki depremlerin bindirme ile ilişkili depremlerle birlikte meydana geldiğini göstermektedir. Bu depremlerin odak mekanizma çözümleri ve jeolojik veriler, normal fayların ve bindirmele- rin doğrultularının neredeyse birbirine paralel olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu çalışma, Makran bölgesindeki normal faylanmayla ilişkili depremlerin bazılarının bir kıstırılmış kabuksal kama yapısının normal faylı kuzey kenarını işaret ettiğini öne sürmektedir. Jaz Murian ve Mashkel çöküntü alanları bu kenarın tavan bloğunda yer almaktadır. Bu öneri, bölgedeki normal faylan- ma ile ilişkili tüm depremleri, kuzeye doğru dalan okyanusal litosfer içerisindeki ‘dalan levha içi depremleri’ olarak yorumlayan klasik görüşten farklıdır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Depremsellik ve tektonik, dalma-batma zonu süreçleri, kıstırılmış tektonik kama, Hint okyanusu INTRODUCTION is composed of an E-W trending Makran accretionary wedge, 900 km in length and The Makran region is part of the Tethyside extending between the Strait of Hormuz orogenic collage (Şengör et al., 1988) and and Karachi (Pakistan) (Figure 1). 967 Uluslararası Katılımlı 72. Türkiye Jeoloji Kurultayı, 28 Ocak–01 Şubat 2019, Ankara, Türkiye 72nd Geological Congress of Turkey with international participation, 28 January–01 February 2019, Ankara, Turkey The Makran subduction belt is different might be simultaneously active (Burg et al., from its counterparts elsewhere in the wor- 1984; Burchfiel and Royden, 1985). In order ld. The average distance between trench to explain the structures in the Himalayas, and volcanic arc in subduction zones is 250 Chemenda et al. (1995) performed tests on a km but in Makran the volcanic arc develo- physical model, considering erosional unloa- ped at an average of 550 km away from the ding and demonstrating the rising of a crustal trench. slice bounded by thrust and normal faulting. Beaumont et al. (2001) suggested that a low The subduction of the Arabian plate under viscosity channel model could explain normal the Helmand and Lut blocks of the Eura- faulting coeval with thrusting in the Hima- sian plate started in Early Cretaceous ti- layas, and Grujic et al. (2002) provided age mes (White and Ross, 1979; Berberian and data to show the synchronous development of King, 1981). GPS data indicate that this the Main Central Thrust and the South Tibet subduction is also active today (Reilinger detachment. et al., 2006; 23.6 ± 1.7mm/yr) (Figure 1). A similar miniature structure, resembling Earth scientists working on accretionary the Himalayan case, has been determined wedges have realized that different tecto- in Central Anatolia, Turkey (Seyitoğlu et nic styles such as subduction erosion, ac- al., 2000; 2009) and named the Eldivan-El- tive accretion, subduction without accreti- madağ pinched crustal wedge after Fossen on, and even normal faulting can develop (2000) introduced the expression “pinched at convergent plate boundaries and these crustal wedge”. It has been suggested that structures are examined by Coulomb wed- this neotectonic pinched crustal wedge ge and elastic models (Dahlen, 1984; 1990; structure, having thrust faulted eastern and Xiao et al., 1991; Yin, 1993). normal faulted western margins, developed as a result of NW-SE compression between It is documented that some of the subdu- the right lateral North Anatolian Fault Zone ction zones have normal faulting coeval and its splay, the Kırıkkale - Erbaa Fault with thrusts in the rear of accretionary we- Zone. dge (Cashman and Kelsey, 1990). Moreo- ver, Wheeler (1991), Harms et al. (1992), Ring and Glodny (2010) determined that an extrusion wedge bounding by thrust and normal faults can explain the exhumation of ultra-high-pressure rocks in a subduction setting and the extrusion wedge’s normal faulted margin named as a shortening-indu- ced normal fault (Ring and Glodny, 2010). Many ancient orogens also have active nor- mal faults during accretion (Platt, 1993). A Figure 1. The main tectonic elements and well-known example is the Himalayas. The simplified geological units of the Makran normal faulting lying parallel to the Main area. Compiled from the Tectonic Map of the Central or Boundary Thrusts has been deter- Middle East (1991), Ramezani and Tucker mined and it is suggested that these structures (2003), and the International Geological Map 968 Uluslararası Katılımlı 72. Türkiye Jeoloji Kurultayı, 28 Ocak–01 Şubat 2019, Ankara, Türkiye 72nd Geological Congress of Turkey with international participation, 28 January–01 February 2019, Ankara, Turkey of the Middle East (2009). The slip rates are from Reilinger et al. (2006). SEISMICITY OF MAKRAN The International Seismological Center (ISC) records show that the seismicity of Makran is low relative to other regions of Iran, but the Makran region experienced significant earthquakes having magnitudes of 8.0 and 7.7. The depth of seismicity in Makran ranges from 1 km to 186 km, get- ting deeper towards the north (Farhoudi and Karig, 1977; Jacob and Quittmeyer, 1979). Although shallow earthquakes are located all over the Makran region, the historical and instrumental records indicate that lar- ge earthquakes are of intermediate depth in Makran (Byrne et al., 1992). Although hypocenter errors discussed in Maggi et al. (2000), intermediate earthquakes are loca- ted at the north of Makran belt under the Jaz Murain and Mashkel depressions (Figu- re 2a). The focal mechanisms of these eart- hquakes generally indicate normal faulting and their epicentres lie parallel to the Mak- ran subduction belt. The overall evaluation Figure 2. a) Seismic activity of the Makran of focal mechanism solution of earthquakes accretionary belt and Mashkel depression. indicate that thrust, normal and strike slip The data were collected from the ISC cata- fault related earthquakes have hypocenters logue. Cross section lines along latitude and shallower than 50 km, but some normal fa- longitude are shown as solid lines on the map. ult related earthquakes have deeper hypo- Dashed lines in the cross sections indicate centers (Figure 2a). Moho depth obtained by CRUST1.0 model (Laske et al. 2013). Topography is plotted Beneath the Makran subduction belt maxi- on the top of each cross section. Topography mum depth of seismically coupled (seis- and bathymetry data are provided from http:// mogenic) zone is 80 km that is deeper than www. marine-geo.org/portals/gmrt/. b) Cross the counterparts in Pacific region (after Ti- section of the overall seismicity perpendicu- chelaar and Ruff 1993). This situation indi- lar to the Makran trench. The proposed stru- cates that some of the normal fault related ctural style of the Makran subduction belt is earthquakes can be evaluated as intraplate similar to the pinched crustal wedge limited seismicity in the overlying lithosphere rat- by normal and thrust faults. The side views of her than intraslab earthquakes in the under- normal fault related focal mechanism soluti- lying lithosphere (Figure 2b). ons are presented with different colours, see Figure 2a for their map view. The khaki-grey 969 Uluslararası Katılımlı 72. Türkiye Jeoloji Kurultayı, 28 Ocak–01 Şubat 2019, Ankara, Türkiye 72nd Geological Congress of Turkey with international participation, 28 January–01 February 2019, Ankara, Turkey strip represents the subducted oceanic crust. nic settings independent of crustal thickness, The dash-dot line and arrow indicate maxi- elevation and scale, as seen in the cases of the mum depth of seismic coupling of the plate Himalayas (Burg et al., 1984; Burchfiel and interface (after Tichelaar and Ruff, 1993). Royden, 1985), the Eldivan-Elmadağ pinc- Multi-coloured dots indicate hypocenters of hed crustal wedge (Seyitoğlu et al., 2009) and normal fault related earthquakes. The das- the Makran accretionary wedge. hed