Exhumation of the west-central Alborz Mountains, Iran, Caspian subsidence, and collision-related tectonics

Research Article| June 01, 2001 Exhumation of the west-central Alborz Mountains, Iran, Caspian subsidence, and collision-related tectonics Gary J. Axen; Gary J. Axen 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Patrick S. Lam; Patrick S. Lam 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Marty Grove; Marty Grove 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Daniel F. Stockli; Daniel F. Stockli 2Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jamshid Hassanzadeh Jamshid Hassanzadeh 3Institute of Geophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Gary J. Axen 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA Patrick S. Lam 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA Marty Grove 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA Daniel F. Stockli 2Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA Jamshid Hassanzadeh 3Institute of Geophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 20 Nov 2000 Revision Received: 23 Feb 2001 Accepted: 06 Mar 2001 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2001) 29 (6): 559–562. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2001)0292.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 20 Nov 2000 Revision Received: 23 Feb 2001 Accepted: 06 Mar 2001 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Gary J. Axen, Patrick S. Lam, Marty Grove, Daniel F. Stockli, Jamshid Hassanzadeh; Exhumation of the west-central Alborz Mountains, Iran, Caspian subsidence, and collision-related tectonics. Geology 2001;; 29 (6): 559–562. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2001)0292.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Crystallization and thermal histories of two plutons in the west-central Alborz (also Elburz, Elburs) Mountains, northern Iran, are combined with crosscutting relations and kinematic data from nearby faults to determine the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of this segment of the youthful Euro-Arabian collision zone. U/Pb, 40Ar/39Ar, and (U-Th)/He data were obtained from zircon, biotite, K-feldspar, and apatite. The Akapol pluton intruded at 56 ± 2 Ma, cooled to ∼150 °C by ca. 40 Ma, and stayed near that temperature until at least 25 Ma. The nearby Alam Kuh granite intruded at 6.8 ± 0.1 Ma and cooled rapidly to ∼70 °C by ca. 6 Ma. These results imply tectonic stability of the west-central Alborz from late Eocene to late Miocene time, consistent with Miocene sedimentation patterns in central Iran. Elevation-correlated (U- Th)/He ages from the Akapol suite indicate 0.7 km/m.y. exhumation between 6 and 4 Ma, and imply ∼10 km of Alborz uplift that was nearly synchronous with rapid south Caspian subsidence, suggesting a causal relation. Uplift, south Caspian subsidence and subsequent folding, reversal of Alborz strike-slip (from dextral to sinistral) and(?) eastward extrusion of central Iran, coarse Zagros molasse deposition, Dead Sea transform reorganization, Red Sea oceanic spreading, and(?) North and East Anatolian fault slip all apparently began ca. 5 ± 2 Ma, suggesting a widespread tectonic event that we infer was a response to buoyant Arabian lithosphere choking the Neo-Tethyan subduction zone. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.