干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Structural geology, tectonics, lithology and the courses of major rivers play an important role for development of the landscapes and changing the environmental behaviors in Zagros Mountains. The Karun and the Dez rivers in Zagros Mountains are greatly influenced by the structural geology, particularly the topographic barrier of the Mountain Front Fault and the structural lows of its associated lateral ramps. The research has been attempted at finer scales and it shows that the river courses are more variable with similar river reaches in similar tectonic scenarios apparently having different responses; diverting around uplifting areas in some instances and cutting across them in others during the Quarternary period and therefore impacts the environment and ecology in some minor extends.

In this study the river responses also were investigated and interpreted using an integration of remote sensing, GIS, GPS, geomorphology and field survey to study the tectonic signatures, especially in the Mesopotamian Foreland Basin where the river systems are very mobile and able to respond, both laterally and vertically, to the active tectonics and its behavior on environment. In semi-arid foreland basin it has been found that the river response to structural uplift was greatly influenced by the location and timing of movement of the river channel relative to the location and timing of the uplift in the study area.