Inception of activity and slip rate on the Main Recent Fault of Zagros Mountains, Iran

We used geological, geomorphological markers, pull‐apart basins, and drainage patterns to explore totally a new more accurate strike‐slip offset on the Main Recent Fault (MRF) of the Zagros Mountains in SW Iran. The MRF has a NW–SE strike that is among the most important structural features within the Arabian–Iranian continental collision zone. Inception of the MRF has been suggested to be related to the slab break‐off underneath the Zagros during the last 10–5 Ma. We conclude that the maximum total right‐lateral offset on the MRF is about 16 km, leading to a slip rate of about 1.6–3.2 mm y− 1. These figures for the fault inception time and slip rate are consistent according to geodetic estimates and three‐dimensional mechanical modeling.