Paleomagnetism From Central Iran Reveals Arabia‐Eurasia Collision Onset at the Eocene/Oligocene Boundary

Abstract We present two robust and well‐dated paleomagnetic poles from upper Eocene Oligocene volcanics in the Urumieh‐Dokhtar magmatic arc, Central Iran. These place Iran ∼3.7°–3° of latitude south its position between ca. 40 23 Ma. Our new declination data indicate that block may have experienced a ∼11.6° clockwise rotation since Late Eocene. integrated our with retrodeformed margins Zagros collision zone contemporaneous Arabia positions to better constrain age configuration Eurasia assembly process. In model, Arabia‐Eurasia occurred first western Main suture 35 30 Ma then diachronously spread eastwards. paleogeographic reconstruction initial continental timing supports as first‐order driver global cooling, Red Sea rifting, Mediterranean extension.