Assessment of neotectonic of upper part of Kharroud drainage basin (Qazvin province) using morphitectonic evidences

Abstract

The study area is located in the geological map of Avaj at 1: 100,000 scale. Also, the exploration area of Kharroud is over 550 km2 in Qazvin province. The Kharroud River is 217 km in length. This area is located between two structural- sedimentary zones of central Iran and the Sanandaj-Sirjan, which has the geological characteristics of both zones. Therefore, the area is very varied in lithology; types of metamorphic rocks of the upper Triassic and Jurassic, Tertiary magmatic series, and various types of sedimentary and chemical sedimentary rocks of different ages from Paleozoic to Neocene on the river flow path or at the surface of the drainage basin outcropped. The morphology many of the surface landforms is result of two groups of factors that group is trying to create heights and roughness of the earth, and other factors try to erode the same roughness. Using morphotectonic science and assess of morphotectonic indices, can be conclude that in the particular region, the forms of the earth's surface are influenced by which factors. This case study was carried out on the upper part of the Kharroud River in Qazvin province. Using the digital elevation model, the basin and sub-basins watersheds related to the Kharroud River was extracted. Then, using elevation data, the stream length-gradient (SL), Topographic Symmetry Index (AF), hypsometric curve and hypsometric integral were calculated for the study area. The results show that the upper part of the catchment Kharroud area is a region in which orogeny tectonic forces have reached balanced with erosion factors and the region has matured morphologically. In addition, the neotectonic activity of the region is low based on this index and the region is in the class of areas with low neotectonic activity.