An Ancient Landslip at Saidmarreh in Southwestern Iran

A large landslip occurred in prehistoric times in the Saidmarreh district of Luristan (lat. 33° 0' N.; long. 47° 30' E.). About 5 cubic miles of Lower Miocene limestone and Eocene marly limestone fell off the northern flank of the Kabir Kuh anticline and left a scar about 9 miles long. The sheet of debris, 64 square miles in area, blocks the synclinal valley and has ridden up and over the plunging end of the anticlinal range known as Kuh Dufarash. Three lakes were impounded but have since been drained, either by seepage or as their overflow cut a gorge through the obstruction. The large angular blocks occurring as far as 9 miles from their point of origin, the big area occupied by the landslip material, and the considerable vertical as well as lateral carriage it has experienced make this landslip of more than local interest.