Accommodation of Shortening in the Eastern-Central Alborz Range (North of Damghan)

The Alborz Mountains has been separated the subsiding Caspian Basin from the foreland basin of Central Iran. This mountain range from east to northwest, has changed greatly in structural trend formed spirally. Two orogenic phases, Cimmerian and Alpine events caused more changing in sedimentary basin of Palo Tethys and Neotethys and it caused the complexity of abundant structural in other way too. The aim of this research is to investigate and analysis of existence structures in east central Alborz from northwest of Damghan (South of Toyeh) to South of Sari (North Alborz fault). The Structural features Analysis indicate that the Alborz Mountains are a fold and thrust belt. During the intense shortening of Alborz crust in the studied area the initial model of folds have been modified or destroyed. Some of these folds could take place in flexural flow folds or Drug folds classes since one limb of folds on the surface of low-angel thrust faults was thrusted recumbently. The thrust faults with south and north dipping is the main controller for variety structures in this part of Alborz. Based on geological and structural properties, construction of folding structures initiated during the Alpine orogeny since the late Eocene (37 million years) and the most shortening and faulting had occurred during at the Late Miocene. Data presented here demonstrate that shortening percent in the study area of Alborz Mountains is about 36.27% and the Rate of Shortening is estimated about 0.93 mm/y.