Tectonic and Erosion in the Zagros Fold-and-Thrust Belt (ZFTB)

Denudation involves weathering mountains and soil formation over long periods and is classified as soil degradation. This study focuses on the relationship between uplift and denudation using the hypsometric index (HI) and river profile steepness as key points to describe erosional processes and their relationship with environmental land degradation in the Zagros Fold and Thrust Belt (ZFTB). The interplay between tectonics, climate, and geomorphological features has been investigated to shed light on the erosional processes in the ZFTB. There is uniformity between regions of higher precipitation, steep slopes, higher river steepness, and higher HI, particularly, in areas to the northeast of the Kirkuk Embayment (KE) and areas of Bakhtyari Culmination (BCu). Higher-strength lithologies show consistency with the areas of higher HI, steepness, and higher precipitation, implying that the erodibility of exposed lithology does not control higher geomorphic indices values. The results showed a coupling between climate (e.g., orographic rain) and tectonic uplift controlling higher erosion areas (land degradation), where we found steep slopes, high HI, and steepness values.