Open AccessCharting the growth of the Turkish‐Iranian plateau
Author(s) -
Schultz Colin
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2013eo250008
Subject(s) - geology , plateau (mathematics) , eurasian plate , tectonics , seismology , terrain , turkish , paleontology , intersection (aeronautics) , geography , subduction , cartography , mathematical analysis , linguistics , philosophy , mathematics
Stretching from the Persian Gulf up through Turkey, the northwest‐southeast running Zagros fold‐and‐thrust belt is a region of extensive crustal deformation and seismic activity. Near the Zagros Mountains the structure of the Middle Eastern region is the result of the intersection of three tectonic plates, with the Eurasian plate being squished on both sides by the Arabian and Indian plates. Convergence of the plates is driving the formation of the Turkish‐Iranian plateau, a high‐elevation expanse of relatively smooth terrain reaching in some places more than 2 kilometers into the sky and lying northeast of the Zagros belt.