fem 4 in cooperation ani July 1985 withPto-Pleist Manoochehr Peroni Geological Survey of Irs", P.G. 30x 1964, Tehran, Iran Outline ef geology and physical stratigrephy Iran forrs 2 segment of the youthful Alpine-timalayan orogenic belt. The country owes its present relief and elevation essentially to the Laramian and younger diastrophic movements with @ considerable share attribuzable to post-Miocene tectonism The late Cenozoic geotectonic mvel of the territory is one Of con- on between the Iranian and Arabi tinenzal ¢ lithospheres . Tac pre- cursory synprcns of collision were recorded around the Eocene-015 gacene 01 hallowing or migration and associated taphroge basins, noteble diminution of volcani 4 back-are areas) during prevailed in central Iran (island are a: times, intense gelding and faulting of certain zores and formavion of allow conspicuous 91ig0 ine nolasse units. Shailow-zer a1 dimentation rontinued curing Miocene. Continental collision achieved its maturity at the Mio-Plio- cene boundary. This is evinced by the initiation of the Trani pla ion of volcanic activity and tapi the practical exte rogeny in cen- tral iran, the shift in position or shrirkage a cther shallowing 0: warine basins and by the formation of new sets of tectonic structures, all occurring zt the Atticsn Orogeny (Pedrami, 1952a). to the south and north of the rising pleteau very thick (up to or.7 km} Pliocene-Lower Pleistocene exogeosynclinal moless¢ accumulated Molasse facies of the same order of thickness © also deposited the doxnthrown 310 Pliocene-Lower of the plateau grep! ars and Yakran Group tocene units arc known as the espectively (Zagros foredeep) and southess: Iran, and the Upper Red Formazion tral and northern [ran (interplateu areas)”. apparently of a different nature, was resuned Pleistocene.Tr Fars Grouy is ted in ascending order by the G: (Table 1, modified from Pedrami, 1979}. The upper half of the latter Menber. The Gach- baa formation is jocally distingwished as the La! saran Formation is a shallow-narine evsporite, marl and limestone fa- ri cies. The Nishan Formation (sensu stricto), a relatively thin w and the Lahbari Agha Jari units are ter- is a shallow-marine mar! restrial red beds over northwestern areas of their depositional besins, the Zagros trough. The latter unit, however, comprises shallow-marine mar] toward the south and southeast where it has been commonly confused | with the Mishan Formation (see Fig. 1) fhe Makran Group bears some yesenblance to the Fars Group ex- cept for the general absence of evaporites, that are so adundent in the ! lower parts ef the Fars Group (Gachsaran F. ), and the tendency to marine characters tain its shallow ven toxard the uppermost horizons vate (Table 3; In the Minab area .he Group nay be subdivided into three fortstions Wit. Gushi Marl, Kheku Sandszone and Paregon, 1980). a, Ely subdivided inte The Upper Red Formation has not been ack, a subdty sion into aL smaller units, though, as 2 general wer half of dark-red shallow-merine grit, sandstone or marl and an upp half of lighter-coloured terrestrial red beds may readily Se made (Teble lower half. graphic ui 1). Evapor Tr the Bekhtyari Conglomerate and Lehbari Mari of sou Ae herizans are frequent!y present in th principal Lower Pleistocene ts are nern Iran, Minab Con- Glomerate of soucheast Iran (the lower half of which is commoniy repla ced by, or interbedded with, sandstone rl), Hezardarreh Formation (gravel or conglomerate) of northern Iran, and the Akchagyl-Apsheron units of the Caspian basin. The normal maximum thickness of che Lower Pleistocene units is some 1500-1500 m but may exceed this in local oc- currences. ‘The Upper Quaternary (post-Cronerian) sequence is represenzed by unconsolideted (or poorly consolicated), porous, fresh (or siight)y weathered) gravel units over piscvont areas. Downstream from th: areas there is ¢ rapid lateral fecies change to grained alluvium casional lacustyine incursions. The = is designated che Haft rse-grained, and Darya ye en fine-grained Group wh