Tectonic Geomorphology of Başkale Fault Zone

Abstract

Baskale Fault Zone is located between Şemdinli-Yüksekova fault zone in southeast Turkey and Guilato-Siahcheshmeh-Khoy fault system in southeast Iran. The fault zone started from Yavuzlar town to Işiklar village in southwest. BFZ is composed of three different segments which have directions with varying N75°E to N 80°E. The offset streams, fault controlled drainage system such as Çiǧilsuyu stream, alluvial fans which line up parallel to the fault and have deformation structure, fault straight, Plio-Quaternary volcanic rocks and volcanic structures, ridge travertines which continues their formations today indicate that BFZ is active as morphotectonic. The objective of the investigation is to determine the effect of Başkale Fault Zone on morphotectonic evolution of the region. With this aim, morphometric indices such hypsometric integral, drainage basin asymmetry, the ratio between the width and the height of valley and crimp in front of the mountain were produced with Digital Elevation Model of study area and were explained with their meaning. Depending on the results of morphometric models, it appears that the region has young topography and activelyrises. It was concluded that the rate of topographies rise in the region increased from east to west and typically rates were greater than of 0.5 mm in year.