Assessment of Morphotectonics and Movement Potential of North Karaj, Northern Iran

The central Alborz Mountain range with the east-west trend has been witnessing tremendous seismic events for a long time. The faults in this area have high seismic activity. Identifying tectonic active zones from a morphological point of view is the main goal of this study. In this research, the effect of the activity of the faults on the morphology of the region was considered. Then, the interaction of this activity and the movement potential of the active faults in the north of Karaj region was investigated. The morphotectonic indices were investigated by two methods, IAT and fuzzy logic. In both methods, the KalKabud basin is in the category of very high tectonic activity, more than half of the studied area is in the category of medium tectonic activity. There is a correspondence between the tectonically activity areas, the density of earthquakes and the movement potential values of the faults in the region. These cases indicate uplift in large parts of the studied area in the form of an east-west strip. The evidence shows that the study area is preparing for a major seismic event.