Cenozoic Dextral Shearing Along the Arusan Sector of the Great Kavir–Doruneh Fault System (Central Iran)

The structural analysis of large intracontinental wrench faults is fundamental for deciphering the long-term evolution continental crust in complex areas terms their geodynamic and large-scale crustal block displacements. In this contribution, we demonstrate a pre-Miocene dextral activity present-day left-lateral Great Kavir - Doruneh Fault System (GKDFS, Central Iran), one major active strike-slip extending from Afghan border to Nain region between Iran Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone. We document important shearing recorded along segment GKDFS, Arusan (AFS), located east Jandaq, close trace GKDFS. AFS include several ENE-WSW striking strands exposed length more than 50 km, which couple pre-Cretaceous ophiolites metamorphic basement units with Cretaceous succession Khur basin. fault shows transpressional structures consistent shear including thrusts en échelon folds affecting carbonate units. Paleostress reconstruction based on mesoscopic related geometry allowed establish vorticity parameters indicating that deformation occurred total simple regime calculated Wk 0.9 1. enormous Meso-Cenozoic displacements entire GKDFS are attested by up hundreds kilometers offset Paleotethys suture zone, NE western Iran.