Statistical modeling of a fold system Southeast of ZAGROS (Iran)

Remote sensing is a significant tool to process the geological structures located in the zones with low vegetation and good exposures. In this paper we use statistical analysis of remote sensing data to model the process of folding in the SE of ZAGROS. The ZAGROS simply folded belt comprises a gently folded cover sequence which has been detached from the underlying basement along the Hormoz evaporates and is locally disrupted by recent faults. We used mosaic of 14 landsat ETM+ scenes that covers this region. We digitized 515 hinge lines of synclines and anticlines and measured their lengths. We show that the fold length distribution is fractal. The fractal analysis has 2 implications. First it allows the quantification of the complexity of the geological surface deformation. This complexity arises from growth, interaction and connection of folds to form networks. Secondly, it permits to model the development of folds. We propose that the fault network is an Iterated Function System (IFS). Such a model allows us to understand the structural evolution of a compressional range in 4 dimensions, the fourth dimension being time.