Zagros Mountains
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Iran's topography with the Zagros Mountains
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The Zagros Mountains (also Sagros, Persian رشتهكوههای زاگرس Reschte - Kuhha -ye Zagros ) is the largest mountain range in today's Iran, with smaller parts also be located on the territory of Iraq, the highest mountain is the Zard Kuh 4,550 m height.
Geography
The Zagros stretches over approximately 1,500 km from the provincial Kordestān on the Iraqi border to the Strait of Hormuz, where to approach the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula to 50 km. The mountain range runs approximately parallel to the alluvial plain of the Tigris and the Persian Gulf in 50-100 km away, and is available in several mountain ranges 200 to 300 km wide.
The highest peaks reach near the city of Isfahan over 4,500 m altitude, while they are further south in Shiraz lower by about 1000 m.
The Kel -i -Shin - pass between Rawanduz (Iraq) and Miandoab in Iran is the only pass through the northern part of the Zagros.
Geology
The Zagros Mountains are in the course of alpidic orogeny due to the collision of two tectonic plates - Made - the Eurasian and Arabian plate. Recent GPS measurements in Iran have shown that this collision is still active. The resulting deformation is not uniformly distributed in Iran, but mainly to be found in the great mountain ranges of Alborz and Zagros.
A relatively dense GPS network covering the Zagros in the Iranian part also proves a high deformation within the Zagros. The measurements show that the current rate of shortening in the southeastern part of the Zagros ~ 10 mm / yr and in the northwestern part of ~ 5 mm / a. These two zones are separated by the different deformation Kazerun warp. The GPS results also show different shortening directions along the mountain range, ie normal shortening in the South-East and oblique shortening in Nordwestzagros.
The sedimentary cover of the Zagros lies in the southeast on a layer of rock salt, while no or only a very thin layer of salt is present in the northwest. The salt leads to a shearing. This different basal shearing effect that there are two sides of the Kazerun Fault different topographies. So the terrain is higher in the northwest and less deformed, whereas in the South East the opposite is the case.
Stresses in the earth's crust by the collision caused extensive folding of the existing layered sedimentary rocks. Subsequent erosion removed soft rocks, such as mudstone and siltstone. Harder rocks, such as limestone ( calcium- rich rock consisting of the remains of marine organisms) and dolomite ( rocks similar to limestone containing calcium and magnesium) were over. This differential erosion formed the linear ridges of the Zagros Mountains.
Salt domes and salt glaciers are a common feature of the mountain. Salt domes are an important target for oil exploration, as the impermeable salt frequently accumulates on oil.
The mountains are divided into many parallel mountain ranges (up to 10 or 250 km wide ) and have the same age as the Alps. Iran's most important oil fields are located in the western central foothills of the Zagros Mountains. The southern areas of the province of Fars slightly lower peaks (up to 4000 meters). They contain some limestone rocks with abundant marine fossils.
The Kuhrudgebirge is 300 km away east of the Zagros one of the parallel mountain ranges. The area between these two impressive mountain chains is home to a large population that lives in the intervening valleys. The valleys are quite high and have a temperate climate. The inland rivers which open into vast salt lakes provide pleasant climates on the plateaus to Shiraz and Isfahan.
Paleogeography and prehistoric climate in Southeast Iran: The East Zagros during the Ice Age
The mountain ranges of the eastern Zagros, the cow -i - Jupar (29 ° 40 ' - 30 ° 15'N, 56 ° 50' -. ° 57 35'E, 4135 m asl ), cow -i - Lalezar ( 4374 m) and cow -i - Hezar ( 4469 m ) which have no glaciers today, had during an earlier glaciation (Riss glaciation or pre - LGP = pre - load glacial period) up to a maximum of 1900 m above sea level. M. and down during the last ice age ( Würm glaciation or LGP ) to a maximum of 2,160 m above sea level. M. glaciated down. Here, for example, was on the north side of the Cow -i Jupar an approximately 20 km wide glacier foreland, which has been fed by a 17 km long valley glacier foreland - up. The Talgletschermächtigkeit reached 350 to 550 m. The glacier snow line (ELA ), as the high limit between Gletschernährgebiet and Abschmelzzone was lowered by an average of 1590 meters in altitude ( Mature icing ) or 1490 ( Younger icing). From this it would be - under the condition of similar rainfall pattern - a glacial lowering of mean annual temperature of 11.2 ° C for the crack and 10.5 ° C for the Würm glacial period compared to today. Probably, however, it was dry and therefore colder.
History and Culture
Agriculture is detectable in the Zagros Mountains since the 10th millennium BC. It is believed that man has goats first domesticated in the Zagros Mountains. Other important archaeological sites are Jarmo and the caves of Shanidar in Iraqi. The Hajji Firuz Tepe and Godin places Tepe show that was operated in the period between 5400-3500 BC in the Zagros viticulture. The oldest cities in the Zagros are Anshan and Susa.
In ancient times, the inhabitants of the Zagros Mountains archaeological finds Sumerian and Akkadian or sources are known. Lulubi Gutians and fell in Mesopotamia, the Kassites migrated and established a long-lasting dynasty in Babylon. In Assyrian times here were about the kingdoms Ellipi, Namri, Zamua, Parsua and Karalla. The mountains are often formed the boundary between the rich, as the Roman Empire or the Byzantine Empire and Parthian or Sassanid Empire and between the Safavids and the Ottoman Empire.
Today, among other Arabs, Bakhtiari, Qashqai, Kurds, Lurs and Persians in the Zagros live.
Other mountains in Iran
Approximately parallel to the Zagros - eastward toward the great deserts of the interior - runs the slightly shorter Kuhrudgebirge. In northern Persia, in sight of the capital lying at 1600 m Teheran, between the desert and the Caspian provinces, the Alborz Mountains is ( Damavand 5671 m).