International Journal of Environmental Sciences

The abundance of exposed salt diapirs in the Zagros foreland folded belt makes southern Iran one of the unique places in the world to study salt diapirs at outcrop scale. Grounded on field data, this research investigates the structure of the Konarsiah and the Mangerak salt domes in Firouzabad region, southwestern Iran, and discusses its influence in ground water contamination. In order to explain the principal effects of the lithology on the hydrogeological characteristics of the study area, the rock formations have been divided into two main groups. The first group comprises the Gachsaran (Lower Miocene), Mishan (Lower to Middle Miocene) and Agha Jari formations (Upper Miocene to Pleistocene) and plays a major role in water quality; whereas the second group includes the Sarvak (Albian to Turonian), Asmari (Lower Miocene) and Bakhtyari formations (Pleistocene) control the ground water flow pattern. The latter is mostly controlled by the fracture permeability, as suggested by the correlation between the strike of the major joint sets in the aquifers and the ground water flow directions. Regarding to the salt tectonics evolution, the Konarsiah and the Mangerak domes are interpreted to be two active plug-like salt diapirs which occur synchronously to folding and their profiles are comparable with the development of a viscous droplet over a rigid horizontal surface.