Synced deformation of the Talesh-Alborz-Kopet Dagh belt and formation of the Iranian Plateau

Plate convergence has continued for over 25 Myr after the Arabia initially collided with the Eurasia, causing vast intracontinental deformation within the Central Iran Block at the southern margin of the Eurasia. During the same period, the Iranian Plateau grew as tectonic stress from continental collision propagated northwards, accompanied by strong deformation, crustal shortening and rapid rock exhumation, but the process of the plateau formation remains less discussed. From west to east, the Talesh-Alborz-Kopet Dagh (TAK) situates at the northern front of the Iranian Plateau and suffers intense folding and thrusting that creates the highest mountain range in Iran, so its tectonic evolution history carries important clues for the building of the current plateau.

To better constrain the spatial and temporal patterns of deformation and exhumation, we carried out comprehensive structural analysis and new geochronology-thermochronology dating for the TAK. As a first order feature of the collision zone, the TAK records an immediate response to the initial collision. Oligocene deformation is well documented but unevenly exhumed different segments of the belt along-strike. The Talesh and westernmost Alborz preserves late Neoproterozoic basement rocks (~570 Ma) and old, Mesozoic zircon U-Th/He ages (150-90 Ma), acting as a relatively rigid part resistant to Oligocene deformation. In contrast, the main part of Alborz was remarkedly shortened by folds and thrusts and exhumed rapidly, while the Kopet Dagh shows a simply folded belt dominated by box folds in deca-kilometer scale. All the TAK experienced enhanced exhumation since 20 Ma, peaked at the Late Miocene, suggesting the deformation was synced around 7 Ma when the internal tectonic organization along the belt and within the Central Iran Block had been much reduced. This Late Miocene switch reflects a reorganization of Arabia-Eurasia plate convergence. The causes could include that elevation increased to a level at which the Iranian Plateau was built and resisted further thickening, or internal heterogeneity was decreased and the whole region began to evolve as a single tectonic unit, causing deformation to be accommodated in other regions. The growth model of Iranian Plateau can also enlighten us on how Tibetan Plateau developed and expanded at its early stage.