Slip Rate Partitioning in Active Faults System of Oblique Collision Zone of Arabia-Eurasia Plates based on Boundary Elements Method

In this research, fracture mechanic concepts and dislocation modeling is used to examine the velocity field of GPS observables on the oblique collision zone of Arabia-Eurasia plates. For this purpose, the significant active faults in the study area were selected and proper boundary conditions applied. Numerical boundary element method with green functions obtained from Okada analytical solution were used to distribute strike slip rates among selected active faults. Velocity field obtained from the model was compared with GPS velocity field of Iranian campaign global geodynamic network and by changing boundary conditions using try and error a better coincidence were generated between model and GPS velocity field. At the final stage the difference of most of GPS observations from model results were inside of 95% confidence ellipse. Regarding accordance among model and geological slip rates, in continue of estimates we tried to get better accommodation between model and GPS velocity fields. For this purpose we tried to get better accordance between deduced slip rates by two methods with changing of boundary conditions and introducing some of geological slip rates as boundary conditions. Slip rates of other faults obtained by initial modeling were considered as boundary conditions for final modeling. These boundary conditions were changed by try and error to get close and close to geological slip rates such that the accommodation of model with GPS velocity field were retained and even get better too. Modeling results show that most of faults modeled slip rates are consistent with slip rates obtained by geological methods. The numerical results also show that most of strike slip faults in Iran are dextral. Regarding that final modeled slip rate for North Tabriz fault (6.4 mm/yr) is more than modeled slip rate for Main Recent Fault (2.2 mm/yr), the model shows that North Tabriz Fault is continuation of North Anatolian Fault in Iran.