I I Policy Making Committee of the 4th YES Congress Patronage: Mohammad Taghi Korehie Members: (In alphabetic order) Hamid Ashtari Bita Mirzapour Marziyeh Esterabi Ashtiani Ali Najafi Manouchehr Ghorashi Raziyeh Lak Local Organizing Committee of the 4th YES Congress Local Organizing Committee Chairperson: Marziyeh Esterabi Ashtiani Members: (In alphabetic order) Khatereh Aligholizadeh Hatam Sedigheh Jadavi Mina Birjandi Zahra Latifi Saba Dashti Chandanagh Amir Mohammad Mahboubi Najmeh Davari Maryam Mehrdadian Parvin Esmaili Marziyeh Rostami Masoumeh Evaz Namvar Zeinab Sharifi Esmaili Reyhaneh Fazli Mojgan Yaghoubi Somayeh Habibi Maryam Heidarian Field Itinerary* Day 1 (Tuesday, Aug. 29) Time Title 8:30 Moving to Kashan 14:30 Lunch in Kashan city 15:30 Tour in Kashan city Day 2 (Wedneday Aug. 30) Approximate Activity time 10:00 Visiting the Permian-Triassic boundary beds, North of Shahreza 12:30 Lunch in Isfahan city 15:00 Tour in Isfahan city Day 3 (Thuesday Aug. 31) Approximate time Activity Solenoporacean algae Late Triassic warm water reefs, Disconformity (Late Devonian/ 8:25-12:00 Late Permian event), Angular unconformity ( Early Jurassic/Early Cretaceous movements) 2:00 Lunch in Mahalat 13:00 Moving to Tehran and Visiting the Qom Formation 17:30 Arriving in Tehran * Please note: Everyday wakeup time is 7:00 A.M., breakfast starts at 7:20 A.M., and departure for the field is at 8:00 A.M. sponsors Fig. 1: Tectonic map of Iran showing geological provinces, ophiolites and faults Geological Framework The present day geological features of the Iranian plateau have developed through a long history of western Asian Tethyan realm, which may be summarized in the following stages: 1. Late Proterozoic consolidation and peneplanization of the basement in northern margin of Gondwana. 2. Deposition of Latest Neoproterozoic to Permian epicontinental rocks of predominantly sedimentary nature. 3. Separation and drifting of Cimmerian blocks from northern margin of Gondwana and their collision to the southern margin of Eurasia across the Tethys Ocean. This stage spanned in time between Late Permian to Late Triassic, and resulted in development of Neotethys, closure of the Paleotethys, and the Cimmerian orogeny. 4. Northeastward subduction of Neotethys under the Central Iran, and development of the Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic-magmatic belt as an active continental margin of the Central Iran between Jurassic and Cretaceous. 5. Ophiolite obduction on the passive margin of the Arabian plate and around the Central Iranian terranes, and magmatic arc and backarc development along the Urmia-Dokhtar belt during Late Cretaceous to Paleogene times. 6. Closure of the Neotethys Ocean and Zagros orogeny during Paleogene and Neogene times, and growth of the Iranian plateau. Permian-Triassic boundary beds (transition from Paleozoic to Mesozoic) Fig. 2: Satellite view of outcrop and field photographs of the Permian-Triassic boundary beds to the N of Shahreza. Permian-Triassic boundary beds in Shahreza section The Abadeh-Shahreza region is well-known for their classic Permian-Triassic outcrops. Particularly the Abadeh section on the northern flank of the Hambast Mountain, about 60 km SW of Abadeh town and the Shahreza section, about 14 km NNE of Shahreza town has been studied in detail (e.g., IJRG, 1981). This region was located in the southern zone of the Cimmerian Sanandaj-Sirjan block as a part of northern shelf of the Neo-Tethyan Ocean (Stampfli and Borel, 2002). The lithological subdivision of the Permian strata of the entire region were refined by IJRG (1981), including the Surmaq Formation (units 1-3), the Abadeh Formation (units 4-5), and the Hambast Formation (units 6–7). The latter with a special focus on conodont- and ammonoid-based biostratigraphy as well as geochemistry of the Permian/Triassic boundary beds has been extensively studied (Richoz et al. 2010; Leda et al. 2014 for a review of earlier works and recent achievements). Unit 6 of the Hambast Formation is lithologically characterised by the alternation of shales and micritic grey limestone, following dark grey limestone beds of the Abadeh Formation (unit 5). The succession was subdivided with conodonts (Kozur, 2004; 2005) representing the entire Clarkina leveni and lowermost of the C. transcaucasica zones of the Dzhulfian (Wuchiapingian). The succeeding unit 7 is composed of thin-bedded greyish red nodular limestone with ammonoids, nautiloids, rare brachiopods, rugose corals, crinoid ossicles and fish-remains. The conodonts provided an age ranging from the C. transcaucasica to the Merrilina ultima - Stepanovites ?mostleri (= uppermost of C. hauschkei) zones, late Dzhulfian - top of Dorashmamian (e.g., Kozur, 2004; 2005). The Shahreza section has been investigated in several studies for facies and isotope geochemistry (Korte et al., 2004; Kozur, 2004, 2005, 2007; Heydari et al., 2008, 2013). Fig. 3: Columnar section of the Permian-Triassic boundary beds at Shahreza with carbon isotope records (Korte et al., 2004, and new data). Kashan city (Long history of sustainable living near a desert) Fig. 4: Tourist attractions in Kashan The etymology of the city name comes from the Kasian, the original inhabitants of the city, whose remains are found at Tapeh Sialk dating back 9,000 years; later this was changed to "Kashian", hence the town name. Between the 12th and the 14th centuries Kashan was an important centre for the production of high quality pottery and tiles. In modern Persian, the word for a tile (kashi) comes from the name of the town. Kashan is divided into two parts, mountainous and desert. In the west side, Kashan is cited in the neighbourhood of two of highest peaks of Karkas chain, Mount Gargash to the southwest of Kashan (the home of Iran national observatory, the largest astronomical telescope of Iran) and Mount Ardehaal in the west of Kashan, also known as "Damavand of Kashan" and the highest peak of Ardehaal mountains (end part of Karkas chain in central Iran). In the east side of the city Kashan opens up to the central desert of Iran which the city is famous for. Kashan is also known for Maranjab Desert and Caravanserai located near the namak lake (or salt lake). Today Maranjab and the surrounding Shifting Sands is a popular destination at the weekends. Kashan was also a leisure vacation spot for Safavi Kings. Bagh-e Fin (Fin Garden), specifically, is one of the most famous gardens of Iran. This beautiful garden with its pool and orchards was designed for Shah Abbas I as a classical Persian vision of paradise. The original Safavid buildings have been substantially replaced and rebuilt by the Qajar dynasty although the layout of trees and marble basins is close to the original. The garden itself however, was first founded 7000 years ago alongside the Cheshmeh-ye-Soleiman. The garden is also notorious as the site of the murder of Mirza Taghi Khan known as Amir Kabir, chancellor of Nasser-al-Din Shah, Iran's king in 1852 (Wikipedia, 2014). Tappeh Sialk Fig. 5: Tourist attractions in Tappeh Sialk The Sialk ziggurat was built around the 3000 BC. A joint study between Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization, the Louvre, and the Institut Francais de Recherche en Iran also verifies the oldest settlements in Sialk to date back to 5500–6000 BC. Sialk, and the entire area around it, is thought to have originated as a result of the pristine large water sources nearby that still run today. The Cheshmeh ye Soleiman ("Solomon's Spring") has been bringing water to this area from nearby mountains for thousands of years. The Fin garden, built in its present form in the 17th century, is a popular tourist attraction. It is here that the kings of the Safavid dynasty would spend their vacations away from their capital cities. It is also here that Piruz Nahavandi (Abu-Lu'lu'ah), the Persian assassin of Caliph Umar, is buried (Wikipedia, 2014). Isfahan city (architecture and handicrafts in the Safavid capital) Fig. 6: Safavid architecture in Isfahan. The Isfahan city emerged gradually over the course of the Elamite civilization (2700-1600 BCE) under the name of Aspandana, and continued its life as a major city through Median, Achaemenid and Sassanid empires. Its strategic location at the intersection of the ancient roads to Susa and Persepolis made it an ideal candidate to house a standing army, ready to march against Constantinople at any moment. One etymological theory argues that the name 'Aspahan' derives from the Pahlavi for 'place of the army'. In 1598 Shah Abbas the Great moved his capital from Qazvin to the more central and Persian Isfahan, called Ispahān in early New Persian, so that it wouldn't be threatened by his arch rival, the Ottomans. This new importance ushered in a golden age for the city, with architecture, prestige, and Persian culture flourishing. During the time of Shah Abbas and on Isfahan was very famous in Europe, and many European travelers made an account of their visit to the city, such as Jean Chardin. This all lasted until it was sacked by Afghan invaders in 1722 during the Safavids heavy decline. Today Isfahan, the third largest city in Iran, produces fine carpets, textiles, steel, and handicrafts. Isfahan has one of the largest steel-producing facilities in the entire region, as well as facilities for producing special alloys(Wikipedia, 2014). Oligo- Miocene Qom Formation Fig. 7: Satellite view, facies and field photographs of Qom formation. Qom Formation deposits are widespread at the north-eastern coast of the Tethyan Seaway & Reuter et al., 2008) and ranged from the Early Oligocene to the Early Miocene (St ِ cklin) Setudehina,1991). The Qom Foramtiondeposits including marine limestone and marls with gypsum and siliciclasticsis contrasting in lithology and color with the red beds of the underlying Lower Red Formation (Oligocene) and overlying Upper Red Formation (Miocene).