Geopersia

Geopersia

From Hinterland Shortening to Forearc Extension: Structural Style Variations and Upper-Plate Deformation Across the Long-Lived (>60 Myr) Western Makran Subduction Zone, Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
1 Department of Sedimentary Basins and Petroleum, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Sedimentary Basins and Petroleum, Shahid Beheshti University
3 Tsunami and Earthquake Research Centre (TERC), University of Hormozgan, Bandar-Abbas, Iran
4 International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, (IIEES), Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to characterize the surface structural architecture of the less-studied Western Makran along the Zarabad–Fanuj transect and to compare the geometry and kinematics of deformation across its tectonic subzones in order to better constrain the structural evolution of the Western Makran accretionary wedge. The Western Makran is characterized by the low-angle subduction of the Arabian Plate beneath Eurasia. Detailed field investigations along the Zarabad–Fanuj transect reveal a consistent structural segmentation of the accretionary wedge into four east-west-trending subzones: North Makran, Inner Makran, Outer Makran, and Coastal Makran. Accordingly, deformation systematically transitions from thick-skinned tectonics and imbricated thrust systems in the northern hinterland to thin-skinned thrusting and folding in the central regions, culminating in extensional regimes and normal faulting along the Coastal Makran. In the North Makran, both ductile and brittle deformations have produced a complex imbrication of metamorphic, ophiolitic, and continental crustal blocks, reflecting intense crustal shortening. The Inner Makran, immediately south of Bashagard, marks a transitional zone characterized by high-strain, thin-skinned deformation involving duplex thrusting, tight folding, and back-thrusts in Eocene–Miocene sedimentary sequences. Upper crustal structural patterns indicate a northward intensification of tectonic stress. This gradient likely reflects progressive deformation within a critically tapered, obliquely convergent wedge. These findings provide new structural constraints on the ongoing evolution of the Makran accretionary wedge and highlight the potential role of upper-plate structures in generating large-magnitude earthquakes and near-field tsunamis.
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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 02 October 2026

  • Receive Date 15 February 2026
  • Revise Date 31 August 2026
  • Accept Date 02 October 2026