Geomorphic Signatures of Active Tectonics in the Ajichai Drainage Basin NW Iran

Geomorphic indices of active tectonics are useful tools to analyze of the active tectonics in a large area. These indices have the advantage of being calculate from the software and remote sensing packages over large area as a reconnaissance tool to identify geomorphic anomalies possibly related to active tectonics. This is particulary valuable in Ajichai basins where relatively little work on active tectonics based on this method was done, so this method is new and useful. Based upon valuable of the stream length-gradient index(SL), drainage basins asymmetry(Af), hypsometric integral (Hi), ratio of valley-floor width to valley height (Vf), drainage basins index shape (Bs), and index of mauntain front sinuosity (Smf), we used an overall index (Iat), that is a combination of the other indices that divides the landscape into four classes of relative tectonic activity. The moderate class of Iat is mainly in the class 2 (high), with 1045.46 Km2 ,11.26 percent, class 3 (moderate), with 2940.67 Km2 ,31.67 percent and with 5297.30 Km2 ,57.06 percent occupying of all zone. The stream network asymmetry (T) was also studied using morphometric measures of Transverse Topographic Symmetry. Analysis of the drainage basins and sub-basins in the study area results in a field of T-vectors that defines anomalous zone of the basins asymmetry. A comparison of T index clearly consist with the values and classes of active tectonics indices and the overall Iat index.