The Iranian Plateau: The nascent stage of a collisional orogenic plateau

• Applicant: Paolo Ballato, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2012 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 224625316

Orogenic plateaus are extensive, elevated, arid, generally internally drained, low-relief morphotectonic provinces, with steep and highly dissected flanks. Plateaus are located along convergent plate margins and strongly influence atmospheric circulation and rainfall patterns, and thus impact erosion and local- to far-field deformation processes. To date, geologic data reflecting plateau uplift have largely remained unclear and difficult to interpret due to the lack of suitable geologic archives, unequivocal geologic signals in sedimentary deposits within and along the plateau flanks, and limited information on the thermal history of associated exhumed rocks. The Iranian Plateau offers the unique possibility to study a suite of Mio-Pleistocene sediments recording the pre-, syn- and postplateau growth stage, which occurred between approximately 18 and 2 Ma. Here, I propose a multiproxy study of the sedimentary deposits (facies, depositional environments, provenance, magnetostratigraphy, geochronology and paleoaltimetry) and of the basement rocks (low-temperature thermochronology and structural geology) comprising the northern margin of the Iranian Plateau. The excellent preservation of sediments along the flanks of the plateau make this region an ideal natural laboratory to decipher timing, rates, and causes of plateau uplift and lateral growth.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Iran
• Participating Person: Professor Mohammad R. Ghassemi, Ph.D.