Articles | Volume 17, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-17-1-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-17-1-2026
Research article
 | 
06 Jan 2026
Research article |  | 06 Jan 2026

Seismic anisotropy under Zagros foreland from SKS splitting observations

Khalil Motaghi, Ayoub Kaviani, Wathiq Abdulnaby, Hanan Mahdi, and Haydar Al-Shukri

Cited articles

Abdulnaby, W., Al-Mohmed, R., and Mahdi, M.: Seismicity and recent stress regime of Diyala City, Iraq–Iran border, Modeling Earth Systems and Environment, 2, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-016-0201-z, 2016. 
Abdulnaby, W., Motaghi, K., Shabanian, E., Mahdi, H., Al-Shukri, H., and Gök, R.: Crustal structure of the Mesopotamian Plain, east of Iraq, Tectonics, 39, e2020TC006225, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020TC006225, 2020. 
Arvin, S., Sobouti, F., Priestley, K., Ghods, A., Motaghi, K., Tilmann, F., and Eken, T.: Seismic anisotropy and mantle deformation in NW Iran inferred from splitting measurements of SK(K)S and direct S phases, Geophys. J. Int., 226, 1417–1431, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggab181, 2021. 
Bowman, J. R. and Ando, M.: Shear-wave splitting in the upper-mantle wedge above the Tonga subduction zone, Geophys. J. Int., 88, 25–41, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.1987.tb01367.x, 1987. 
Celli, N. L., Lebedev, S., Schaeffer, A. J., and Gaina, C.: African cratonic lithosphere carved by mantle plumes, Nature Communications, 11, 92, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13871-2, 2020. 
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Short summary
We present SK[K]S splitting measurements from 18 new seismic stations in the Zagros foreland, primarily in Iraq, offering novel insights into mantle flow and lithospheric deformation related to both ongoing and past tectonic processes. Results show two distinct anisotropic patterns: NE-SW orientation in northern Iraq, aligning with large-scale mantle flow, and NW-SE orientation in the Mesopotamian Plain and Persian Gulf, likely reflecting lithospheric remnants of past rifting. 
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