POSSIBLE FORCED FOLDING IN THE TAURUS-ZAGROS BELT OF NORTHERN IRAQ

The folds in the Taurus-Zagros Belt of northern Iraq have generally been considered to be decollement buckle folds. This implies the presence of a decollement horizon at or near the base of the sedimentary cover, the 'Infra-Cambrian Hormuz Salt' and a passive role of the Precambrian basement in the tectonic evolution of the folded belt. Structural, stratigraphic, geophysical and remote sensing evidence suggests that forced folding, due to faulting in the basement, has played a significant role in the development of many of the folds in this region. This is clear from the substantial evidence of basement faulting, the lack of any convincing evidence for the presence of an extensive and regional decollement horizon (i.e. the Hormuz Salt) between the basement and the cover rocks, and the geometries of the folds and related mesostructures. The study shows that in the Taurus Foothills Zone, the folds are short, oval in plan shape, and arranged in an en echelon pattern along two sets of dislocation zones in the basement. However, the folds in the Zagros Foothills Zone are longer, linear and arcuate in plan shape. Many of the studied folds show similar features to those observed in the Rocky Mountains, U.S.A.