Two significant reasons why this study should be conducted in Sarpol Zahab, a few kilometers east of the Iran-Iraq border, are as follows: First, the study site is in a hazardous area, i.e., an area with high seismic activity (near the subduction zone and the active fault). Second, is there a topographic divergence due to the rupture and the proximity of an active fault?
The key research questions were as follows:
(1) Where is the intensity of seismic activity highest?
(2) Where has the fault rupture spread to the ground surface?
(3) How is the slip distributed at this event?
We used remote sensing to understand the structural geology and fundamental characteristics of the fault and deformation in the convergence plate. This major goal was achieved by breaking it down into several sub-studies with the following goals:
• To detect the co-seismic deformation in the region.
• Conduct the outcrop investigation better to understand the fault configuration in the research area.
• Identifying the prone area to 3D displacement and determining its amount
• Assessing the deep crustal structure in the research area
• Obtain the study area's Geology and structural geology map by utilizing remote sensing (RS).
The figure below (Figure 1.2) depicts the flow of this research.
This thesis is divided into six chapters, comprising two published papers, the first published in the Remote Sensing Journal and the second in the conference proceedings of the national and international seminar.
We presented an analytical part in chapters 1 to 3 and the result in chapters 4 and 5. The discussion and conclusions are presented in Chapter 6. In general, Chapter 1 in Part 1 covers the Zagros Mountains and presents an overview of the earthquake in Sarpol Zahab. This chapter also provides related research and the problem statement for the study.
Chapter 2 of the thesis describes the methodology used in this study and the processed methods used for co-seismic displacement mapping. Chapter 3 briefly explains the region's geology and reconstruction of the Zagros evolution. Chapter 4 describes the results of the co-seismic displacement mapping and co-seismic fault slip inversion. This chapter comprises four main sections: LOS surface deformation, azimuth surface deformation, 3D surface deformation and processing, and an inversion of the DInSAR deformation data using elastic dislocation to determine the fault shape and slip. Chapter 5 described and justified the study area's choice of geological background and tectonic setting. This chapter discusses the results of the extraction from the Lansat 8 lineaments and obtains the structural map. The thesis's findings, the questions addressed, possible implications for Serpol-ahab 2017 earthquake assessments, and prospects for future research are discussed. The conclusion suggests future research directions in Chapter 6.
