Geomorphological investigation of possible impact evidences for the crater-shaped structure of Zirouki in Samsour Desert
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Geomorphological investigation of possible impact evidences for the crater-shaped structure of Zirouki in Samsour Desert, SE Iran Mohammad Reza Mansouri Daneshvar & Ali Bagherzadeh
Received: 8 January 2013 / Accepted: 27 June 2013 / Published online: 9 July 2013 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
Abstract Despite the extensive records on geomorphological studies in Iran, meteorite impact craters have so far not been considered in to account. Based on both remote sensing technique and field work we have recognized the circular structure of Zirouki crater in the Samsour desert, southeast of Iran, which if confirmed as an impact structure, would be the third impact structure candidate in the Middle East after the Wabar craters in Saudia Arabia and Jebel Waqf as Suwwan in Jordan. Geomorphological investigation of the possible impact structure of Zirouki crater was done based on multi criteria methodology including of geological, topographical, geophysical and petrographical studies. Among different studies, topographical investigation indicated that the crater shape morphology was quite obvious with a central uplift projection; as well geophysical pattern provided very strong evidence for possible impact structure, indicating the presence of circular negative gravity anomaly at the whole of the crater. Keywords Impact structure . Crater-shape . Geophysical map . Digital elevation model . Remote sensing
Introduction The forces that shape our planet such as tectonics, volcanism, erosion, water, and weather are obliterate the traces of even large scale and devastating impact scars after geological short
Communicated by: H. A. Babaie M. R. Mansouri Daneshvar (*) Department of Physical Geography and Climatology, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran e-mail: [email protected] M. R. Mansouri Daneshvar : A. Bagherzadeh Department of Geography, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
time scales. This is probably one of the reasons why it took geologists so long to accept the reality of impact craters on Earth (Koeberl 2004). Impact craters, especially large ones, are now recognized as the causes of large circular geological structures, major crustal deformation, large volumes of igneous rocks, important economic mineral and hydrocarbon deposits, extensive ejecta deposits and marine breccias, and at least a major biological extinction (French and Koeberl 2010). Most of the geological features of meteorite impact structures are not unique; these include a generally circular form, a circular pattern of deformation, extensive fracturing and brecciation, circular gravity and magnetic anomalies, and the presence of large units of igneous rocks (French and Koeberl 2010). Some features can be the product of such conventional processes as tectonic deformation, salt-dome formation, volcanic eruption, internal igneous remnants, karstic phenomena or erosion activity. But the unambiguous identification of impact structures has been based on a small set of distinctive shock-m
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