La grotte d'Alisadr un témoin exceptionnel de l'évolution morphologique du Zagros (Iran)

Dominique Dumas (1, 2)

1 PACTE - Pacte, Laboratoire de sciences sociales
2 EDYTEM - Environnements, Dynamiques et Territoires de Montagne

The tourist cave of Alisadr, located on the eastern boundaries of the Zagros Mountains, is biggest subsurface cave visited in Iran. Most part of the karstic underground galleries are permanently filled with water: on the sides of the galleries former water table levels are indicated by numerous calcareous sinters. The sub-surface karst has preserved numerous relics and paleoenvironmental residual deposits which show the geomorphological karstic development. Datating of three conspicuous calcareous levels in the cave and that of the surface basaltic mesa, to be established a few kilometers from the cave enable a chronology the stages of karstic evolution. The place of pre-quaternary vestiges in the landscapes of this country is also determined. For example, no typical landform of glacial erosion has been identified. The current karstic denudation rate is about 3 mm/Ky. The geomorphological evolution of surface and sub-surface landforms during the quaternary era is shown and deduced from the processes which have led to breccias formations in calcareous rocks.

Située sur la bordure orientale du Zagros, la grotte d'Alisadr est actuellement la plus grande cavité souterraine connue d'Iran. L'endokarst a conservé de nombreux témoins et indices paléoenvironnementaux qui permettent de retracer son évolution.

Mots clés: karst; karstogenèse; spéléogenèse; remplissage endokarstique; morphologie endokarstique; grotte d'Alisadr; Zagros; Iran

Mots clés: karstogenesis; speleogenesis; hydrogeology; morphology; Alisadr cave

Domaines: Géographie; Milieux et Changements globaux

Dominique Dumas. La grotte d'Alisadr un témoin exceptionnel de l'évolution morphologique du Zagros (Iran). Karstologia, 2004, 43 (1), pp.1-8. ⟨halshs-00324627⟩