Evolution of the South Caspian Basin – evidence from offshore seismic and onshore active tectonics

Abstract

The South Caspian Basin is a deep-water basin containing one of the thickest accumulated sedimentary sequences on the Earth, with up to 25 km of sediments, overlying thin oceanic crust.To understand the nature of the South Caspian Basin we build model of the tectonic motion of the South Caspian Basin, an enigmatic aseismic "block" within the Arabia-Eurasia collision, which moves relative to both Iran and Eurasia.The model integrates subsurface interpretation in the Caspian Basin with active tectonics studies from outcrops.Understanding basin tectonics also has applied value as it helps to understand and potentially reduce earthquake hazards.