Earthquake Hazard of the Aegean Extension Region (West Turkey)

Authors : Orhan POLAT, Elçin Gök Doğuser YILMAZ

Pages : 593-614

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Publication Date : 0000-00-00

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :West Turkey, one of the most seismically active regions of Turkey, has been analysed to reveal seismic hazard by using fractal behaviour, seismic quiescence z- and Gutenberg-Richter b-parameters. Starting from raw earthquake catalogue, we performed completeness analysis on recorded events, and a final catalogue, could be accepted as homogeneous, was obtained. According to the results obtained from the Frequency-Magnitude Distribution insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(FMD);, seismic activity rates insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(b- and z-values); and fractal correlation dimension, we detected three anomalous zones throughout the Aegean Extension Region insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(AER);. These are: insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(1); Çandarlı Bay and Bergama-Zeytindağ Fault Zone, insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(2); İzmir fault and Orhanlı Fault Zone, and insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(3); Buldan and surrounding areas. The relatively infrequent occurrence of the great earthquakes in the AER and present hazard parameters obtained by this study suggest that magnitude of a destructive earthquake may reach up to Ms= 6.5. Hence, it is also possible to say that large earthquakes are generally not expected in those related zones because of seismic moment release from small-moderate sized earthquakes.
Keywords : West Turkey, earthquake catalogue, fractal analysis, seismic hazard