The Bam fault zone is a major active fault zone in southeastern Iran. Geomorphic evidence indicates that it has been responsible for repeated faulting events since late Pleistocene. The December 26, 2003 Bam earthquake was associated with two fresh surface ruptures 5 km apart trending north-south and a 2 km wide zone of hairline fractures developed between the two main ruptures in north Bam. The amount of slip along the surface ruptures ranges between 0.5-5.5 cm across the zone. The whole system of fresh ruptures associated with the Bam earthquake is not direct manifestations of the earthquake fault but are secondary structures such as synthetic shears (Reidel shears), mole tracks and oblique grabens which are strongly indicative of right-lateral motion along principal displacement zone in the earthquake source. This is compatible with the focal mechanism solutions of the Bam earthquake and fault displacements during the late Pleistocene.

Geoelectrical study designation has been done on the basis of pre knowledge about study area (on the basis of visiting have been done), process of buried fault, after shock data of Bam earthquake, remote sensing study and the process of recognized fault of Bam. The aim of this study is the investigation of faults and fractures location.Methods which are used in these studies are consist of electrical sounding with schlomberger array, 3 electrode MN (3MN method), CRP and cross (perpendicular) arrangement around Bam city. The assessment of electrical sounding point shows that the main result of this project is made by electrical sounding points which consist of 213 sounding.Estimating the strike of the lateral discontinuity was used too.In 3MN method of measurement, 3 measurements of electrical resistance with 3 different lengths of potential electrodes for each current electrode space were done and 3 separate curves for each station were produced. Investigation of these curves was very useful in direction determination and the strike of lateral discontinuities. In another profile and for 21 stations measurements CRP method which has high capability in determination of faults and fractures location was used.In another profile and in the middle of studied area and in 21 stations of cross perpendicular sounding was performed. In this method the location of lateral discontinuity (faults and) in relation with measurement point was determined. Coordination of all sounding point was picked up by GPS equipment.

Satellite pictures and aerial photos showed the general figure of the causative fault of Bam earthquake, 2003 Dec. 26, in the southeast of Iran that left about 33000 victims and heavy damages. Three dimensional pictures collected before and after the earthquake by advanced thermal distribution and radiometric reflection, or visible waves and infrared, and other investigations accomplished by compound maps, suggest the development of a new fault due to Bam earthquake. In this paper, the results of field study and mapping of the faults and fractures developed by Bam earthquake are presented. The tensile fractures, created in the new fault zone, define the active in situ stress direction in Bam region as N32E. Combining the findings of present study with what presented by telemetric studies identifies the steep slope of the new fault toward east.

Summary The source parameters of Bam (2003) earthquake such as the unjustifiability of the released seismic moment in this fault with magnitude relation, the mismatch for post-seismic fault and InSAR faults, not convincing tectonic regime with reported faults and seeing two extreme peaks on accelerometers need to be investigated. As there are ambiguities and sometimes inconsistencies in the reports about these source parameters, we have decided to estimate the source parameters of the causative faults of Bam earthquake using joint inversion of InSAR and strong ground motion data. Static displacement obtained from strong ground motion data has a complementary role for areas covered by vegetation. Our results show two faults that are responsible for breakdowns in Bam city. One of these faults has transferred stress to another one that reaches to surface. The second fault is a right-lateral strike-slip fault with strike 358° , dip 84° and rake 178° to the east that has maximum moment release with 2. 49 m slip. The first fault is laid beneath the second fault with strike 172° and dip 45° to west. The stress transfer pattern of the first fault on the second one is comparable with slip distribution on the second fault. Using forward modeling of strong ground motion data and fixing parameters obtained from joint inversion of InSAR and strong ground motion data, the epicenter of the earthquake is 58. 27° and 29. 05° . Thus, in this study, the exact fault parameters for the Bam earthquake have been determined using joint inversion of InSAR and strong ground motion data, and it is tried to show that the tectonic of this region is related to this fault. Introduction The study of recognition of causative faults of earthquakes and prediction of the physics of these earthquakes is a favorite topic of earth science researchers. The parameters of an earthquake causative fault could demonstrate attributes of tectonic plates and provide critical information about the earthquake hazard assessment. Methodology and Approaches In the first step, we need to determine the fault displacement obtained from InSAR and strong ground motion data. This displacement could be measured using the observations of radar satellites via the synthetic aaperture radar interferometry method. This method can be used to map the deformations created on the ground by earthquakes (Okada, 1985). Using SARS cape software, the displacement is extracted from interferograms that are obtained from InSAR data. To obtain the displacement from strong ground motion data, the BASCO code is used to extract static displacement from acceleration data. To find the parameters of causative fault as analytical models, the joint inversion processing is aimed such that to minimize the difference between the observed and predicted data in a least-squares sense. The non-linear inversion is based on the Levenberg-Marquardt (Marquardt, 1963) minimization algorithm. It has multiple restarts to reasonably guarantee the convergence of the cost Function to the global minimum. Finally, the synthetic accelerations are created with finite fault model to demonstrate the best fit between the observed and synthetic accelerograms at stations. Results and Conclusions The results of this study show that two faults are responsible for breakdowns in Bam city. One of these faults has transferred stress to another one that reaches to surface. The second fault is a right-lateral strike-slip fault with strike 358° , dip 84° and rake 178° to the east that has maximum moment release with 2. 49 m slip. The first fault is laid beneath the second fault with strike 172° and dip 45° to west. The stress transfer pattern of the first fault on the second one is comparable with slip distribution on the second fault. Using forward modeling of strong ground motion data and fixing parameters obtained from joint inversion of InSAR and strong ground motion data, the estimated epicenter of the earthquake is determined to be 58. 27° and 29. 05° .

This paper deals with the synchronization problem of bidirectional associative memory (BAM) Cohen-Grossberg fuzzy cellular neural networks (CGFCNNs) with discrete time-varying and unbounded distributed delays. Some sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee the robust synchronization of BAM CGFCNNs with discrete time-varying and unbounded distributed delays subjected to parametric uncertainty by using Lyapunov-Krasovskii (LK) functional and Linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. Sufficient criteria ensure that the error dynamics of considered system is globally asymptotically stable. Finally, numerical examples with simulations are given to show the efficacy of the derived results.

Unlike the traditional Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach, the efficiency of network structures depends on the performance of their internal components. This paper proposes a novel approach for evaluating the performance of network structures by employing a bounded adjusted measure (BAM) non-radial model. This method identifies all inefficiencies arising from intermediate variables. Moreover, the study incorporates intermediate products in assessing both overall efficiency and the efficiency of sub-sectors, thereby enhancing the model’s discriminatory power. Through six different scenarios and by developing multiple production possibility sets based on the concept of controllability, the study determines the optimal values for the links connecting the sections of a network. A key advantage of this method is its ability to decompose overall efficiency into the efficiencies of its constituent sub-sectors. Finally, to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method, a practical example is provided to illustrate and compare the outcomes of the different scenarios.

The Iranian plateau lies between the Arabian and Eurasian plates and accommodates approximately 22 mm/yr of N-S shortening. About 9 mm/y of this shortening is taken up by folding and thrusting in the Zagros while the remaining 13 mm/yr is taken up in the Alborz and Kopeh-Dagh. The Central Iran block is relatively stable and thus moves to the north with an average velocity of about 13 mm/y. As the stable Afghanistan block lies to the east, the northward motion of Central Iran produces a right-lateral shear in eastern Iran, which is distributed mainly over a few major faults to the west (~ 5 mm/yr) and east (~ 8 mm/yr) of the Lut desert. Limited information is available about the slip rates of individual faults in eastern Iran; therefore in this study we try to combine all geological, geodetic and available Quaternary dating results to estimate the fault slip rates and distribution of active deformation in eastern Iran. Finally, we report the results from OSL dating of samples taken from uplifted plain deposits near the south end of the Bam-Baravat fault. These results show that this fault is growing in the vertical direction with at a rate of ~ 0.5 mmy-1. Considering geometric relation between the Bam-Baravat and the south Bam earthquake fault, we estimate a slip rate of about 2 mm/y for the south Bam earthquake fault.

In the history of Iranian territory, attention towards defensive fortifications has always ambitiously been concerned as an important factor for survival of the residential and governmental centers. Detailed and precise focusing on each of these defensive structures will provide useful information on the characteristics of this type of military architecture. An MW 6. 5 earthquake devastated the town of Bam in southeast Iran on 26 December 2003. After the Bam earthquake, attentions have been attracted towards Arg-e-Bam complex which had been extensively damaged, and methodical studies were initiated in various parts of this world heritage site. The citadel is located on the northeast of Bam, a dependency of Kerman province located 193 kilometers southeast of Kerman (the province center) and 1257 kilometers southeast of Tehran. The citadel consists of two main areas, the ruler’ s seat and the commoners’ area, which are separated by walls and watchtowers. Another wall, lined by a moat, runs approximately 2, 000 meters around this ensemble, separating it from the surrounding fields. Hence, the present study was being carried out from 2005 to 2008, and aimed at introducing and recognizing the main structure of Arg-e-Bam defense system. In this research which has based on a scientific viewpoint and a logical analysis focusing on findings, elements observations and architectural bodies obtained from a part of the fence between towers (8) and (9) on the southern (main) front up to reaching the ditch and also from new-found parts of the fence body, it has been shown that the image formed in pictures, reports and public opinion about the nature of Bam citadel defensive structure was actually a part of it, as a volume of accumulated historical debris caused by demolitions and reconstructions during the past centuries, which can be seen as a ramp adjacent to the fence up to reaching the ditch and around all sides of the citadel. Understanding the physical situation and constituting layers of this massive defensive structure at the corner of Lut Desert will be useful for researchers not only to know about the architectural aspects, but also to better understand the socio-political conditions of governmental structures during different historical periods in this area. According to the revision of Arg-e-Bam defensive fortifications based on the field studies and explorations, new-found parts include an extensive wall located between the ditch and the fence wall with a height of 2. 7 m, which is larger than the human size, and the ramp which is elevated from the top of this wall to fence base, expressing its defensive role as an obstacle preventing the invaders from easy access to the fence side, and stressing on its role as an strengthening element for retrofitting the citadel defensive wall structure from the structural engineering viewpoint. Evaluating the natural ground bed of the area and the artificial effects created by human activities on the area, detailed studying and scientific perceptions about the manner of positioning and distribution of various defensive elements relative to each other, and detecting the level differences between Sharestan (public stand) bed, fence and fortifications, ditch and the natural ground bed around the complex indicate that there have been extensive changes in the complex area in order to construct the spaces and architectural body of Arg-e-Bam complex as a world heritage site. Findings have suggested the use of ground bed soil as brick and clay materials for the construction of Bam structures and its architectural components. This study has been accompanied with field exploration, mapping and analysis of findings, along with a reviewing of the books and documents available on Bam and defensive fortifications and structures, and with the guidance given by experts.