Folding Style in Western Kopet Dagh Region (Northeast of Iran)

The western part of Kopet Dagh fold belt is located in NE of Iran. The southern half of this belt is located in Iran and the northern half in Turkmenistan. The Kopet Dagh fold belt can be considered as the second important hydrocarbon province of Iran. Sedimentation in this zone began in Middle Jurassic due to the intercontinental rifting. The Middle Jurassic sediments lay unconformably on the Paleozoic and Triassic sediments. The geometric pattern of the folds has been studied based on the field work, geological maps, and geophysical data. The results show a thick skin deformation with shortening of about 5% during the tectonic inversion caused by the Pasadenian orogeny phase, which governing the deformation of the region.