The impact of cover rock rheology on the style of folding in the Zagros fold-thrust belt

The present day morphology of the Zagros fold-thrust belt is dominated by magnificent exposures of NW–SE trending folds. These folds differ in their size and geometry and these differences are related mainly to the rheological profile of the cover rock. The cover rock succession of the Zagros consists of a sequence of competent and incompetent units which vary both along and across the belt. Field based study combined with the use of satellite images reveals that the thickness and facies distribution of the cover rock succession has a significant impact on the style of deformation. During the shortening linked to the current convergence of the Arabian and Iranian plates, the incompetent units act as detachment horizons which localise thrusting and which act as décollement above which detachment folds form. In addition, where these incompetent units are thick (e.g.> 1 km), they allow the deformation above and below them to become completely decoupled enabling disharmonic folding to occur. As a result the folds above and below the incompetent units in the central part of the Zagros Folded Belt, have significantly different geometries and wavelengths. As the Zagros folds host the majority of the hydrocarbon reserves in Iran and Iraq, an understanding of the processes that influence their geometry and spatial organization at different levels in the cover rock is crucial for the future exploration in the region.