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The current study investigated bisphenol A (BPA) toxicity in rabbits. After the adaptation period of 2 weeks, 24 male New Zealand rabbits were equally assigned to 4 treatment groups. Corn oil was given to the rabbits in the control group, whereas 10, 20, or 100 mg/kg daily BPA in corn oil was administered to the rabbits in the remaining groups orally for 9 weeks. Throughout the experiment, BPA did not cause any clinical symptoms, and serum BPA levels of the rabbits treated with BPA were elevated in a dose-dependent manner. Although no effects of BPA were apparent on feed intake, body weights, or organ weights, BPA altered MDA, CAT, SOD, and GPx levels in all organs examined. Furthermore, BPA treatments negatively affected red blood cell counts, hemoglobin, and serum ALP, AST, ALT, CRP, amylase, creatine, and urea concentrations. The present study concluded that the LOAEL dose of BPA for the hematological and biochemical parameters was 20 mg/kg/day.

On 6 February 2023, Mw7.8 Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence ruptured a section of ~300 km of the East Anatolian Fault (EAF). The rupture was initiated with a relatively small ~Mw7.0 event on the Narli Fault, a subparallel prolongation to the Amanos segment breaking ~50 km of its length to the north before reaching to the EAF, ~20s later. The Mw7.8 earthquake was followed by a Mw7.6 event rupturing E-W oriented Çardak Fault on the north of the EAF, ~9 hours later. The initial part of the rupture along the Narlı fault with Mw7.0 earthquake has significant normal component while the rest of the rupture is mostly left-lateral strike slip consistent with the EAF. The pixel correlation of satellite images shows that the rupture of the Mw7.8 event extends for 300 km along the EAF with a maximum slip of ~9 m near Kahramanmaraş Junction. Preliminary finite-fault models show that average rupture velocity toward north-east is faster (~ 3km/s) compared to the southwest (~2 km/s). The north-east extent of the rupture almost reached to the termination of the 2020, Mw6.8 Sivrice earthquake, while to the southwest, it extends to the east of the city of Antakya. The Mw7.6 earthquake has surface offset of ~10 m extending E-W for ~100 km between the EAF in the east and Savrun Fault in the west. The aftershock zone expanded over a wide region during the first few days, all over the eastern Anatolia. The seismic activities triggered on Malatya, Savrun and Göksun Faults are consistent with Coulomb stress increases. Earthquake focal mechanisms solutions are consistent with the kinematics of the ruptured faults with strike slip solutions. Normal fault solutions are observed at the terminations of the ruptures with Coulomb stress increases. The normal fault is activated on the southern border of the Hatay Graben, with a continuation to the Cyprus Arc. In this presentation we present the preliminary results of the seismicity, slip model including GNSS, seismic and InSAR data as well as the satellite obtained surface offsets.

The active deformation and shortening in the Caucasus region are predominantly driven by the collision of Arabian and Eurasian plates where significant differences in the surface uplift, large basins, variations on the plate motion rates along the convergence are observed. To the west of the region the lack of sub-crustal seismic activity, low velocity anomalies in tomographic images and the decreased rate of shortening imply that western Caucasus has different kinematics compared to its east. Previous studies suggested that either slab detachment or lithospheric delamination is responsible for the complex deformation beneath the Caucasus. Large uncertainties due to sparse and non-uniform data coverage for local and regional tomography studies, diffuse seismicity, significant crustal thickness variations and strain field lead to poor understanding on the formation and active deformation of this fold and thrust belt. In this study, we aim to obtain a joint database collected from Turkey and Russia between 2007 and 2020. A waveform data base is created from 37 stations in Russia and more than 60 stations in Turkey. An improved seismicity catalog is built including relocated earthquakes with more than 100 stations. The crustal thickness map of the study region is updated by receiver function analysis using stations both from Turkey and Russia covering the Greater Caucasus. A high resolution Pn tomographic model is computed to determine velocity perturbations in uppermost mantle. The data from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) stations both in Turkey and Russia are processed together for the first time and used to map the updated strain field. The new strain field is correlated with the crustal stress orientations from earthquake source mechanisms. New block models are determined for the Caucasus region in order to better estimate the block boundaries and related slip rates. By the improved azimuthal coverage of the seismic and geodetic stations the uncertainties of vertical and horizontal earthquake locations and the velocity field are reduced, thus; a reliable source for the geometry and kinematics of the faults in the Caucasus region is obtained. With the improved seismological and geodetic observations, reliable inferences on the seismic hazard and earthquake potential is expected for the region.

On 6 February 2023, an earthquake with magnitude M w c . 7.0 on the Narlı Fault, a fault sub-parallel to the East Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ), initiated a chain of large earthquakes on the EAFZ. The earthquakes occurred in a seismic gap with low geodetic strain rates and low background seismicity, where deformation is distributed across a wide fault zone and a long recurrence time of historical earthquakes. The c. 50 km long rupture of the Narlı Fault towards Pazarcık led to an M w 7.8 left-lateral strike-slip earthquake breaking a c. 300 km section of the c. 600 km long EAFZ bilaterally with a total duration of more than 80 s. Toward the SW, the rupture propagated on the c. 100 km long Amanos segment with a peak surface offset of 5 m, before diminishing toward the Hatay graben. In the NE direction, the rupture reached a peak surface offset of 7 m before sharply declining at the termination of the 2020 M w 6.8 Sivrice earthquake rupture. A second large earthquake with M w 7.6 occurred 9 h later on the Çardak Fault, located at the western margin of (and sub-parallel to) the EAFZ and breaking the surface with almost 9 m of left-lateral slip (average of c. 4 m). Following these large earthquakes, the increase in the regional stress led to a rapid seismic activation in a broad region from central to eastern Anatolia, loading the faults at various scales and increasing seismic hazard. Two weeks after the initiation of the seismic crisis, a third earthquake with M w 6.4 occurred at the southern boundary of the Hatay graben, near the southwestern termination of the Amanos rupture. The earthquakes caused significant loss of human life, devastating 12 cities. We evaluate the observations prior to the ruptures, and present preliminary seismological results with surface displacements from sub-pixel correlation of optical satellite images and the stress perturbations computed on the nearby faults based on preliminary slip models. The re-evaluation of the seismic potential in light of the recent and historical earthquakes provides some new insight on seismic hazard assessment. The recent series of events on the EAFZ is an important reminder that large faults can generate very large earthquakes on multiple segments. The seismic potential of large earthquakes on these fault zones can be estimated only by considering multiple seismic cycles and moment deficits from very large earthquakes. Supplementary material : Supplementary figures and tables are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6567094

SUMMARY The East Anatolian Fault (EAF) is a 700-km-long left-lateral transform fault located between the Anatolian and Arabian plates. The proximity of the Euler Pole to the Arabia–Anatolia Plate boundary leads to rapid changes in plate velocity along the boundary, which is manifested by the decreasing slip rates from east (10 mm yr–1) to west (∼1–4 mm yr–1). The EAF displays heterogeneous seismicity patterns with seismic gaps, localized clusters and broad diffuse zones. In this study, in order to understand the origin of these complexities and quantify the seismic hazard along the EAF, we present an improved seismicity catalogue with more than 26 000 earthquakes and 160 focal mechanisms from regional moment tensor inversion between 2007 and 2020. The focal mechanisms and seismicity show that the EAF dips towards north and forms a well-defined plate boundary in the east between Palu and Çelikhan with almost pure left-lateral motion. Further west, the boundary becomes broader with activity along subparallel faults. Focal mechanisms show heterogeneous stress orientations in consistence with geodetically determined strain rate field. The stress orientations show a transition from strike-slip to extension towards the west of Çelikhan. Amongst all segments of EAF, the Pütürge segment, which holds the near-repeating earthquakes in the vicinity of the nucleation of the 2020 Mw 6.8 earthquake, is distinguished with its steady and high rate of seismicity. Further east, the neighbouring Palu segment is characterized by several distinct moderate earthquakes. We do not observe any change in the seismicity rate on these segments of the EAF following large earthquakes. In order to quantify the seismic hazard along the EAF, we calculate the recurrence time and maximum magnitude for each segment by using an extended seismicity catalogue of 150 yr including the large historical earthquakes and the geodetic strain rate. The results show ∼150 yr recurrence time with Mmax∼6.7–7.0 along the seismically active Palu and Pütürge segments on the east, while relatively silent western segments yield longer recurrence times; 237–772 for Pazarcık and 414–917 for Amanos segments with slightly larger magnitudes (Mmax ∼7–7.4). We infer that the seismicity patterns and strain-rate field along the EAF are shaped by several factors such as strong geometrical irregularities, heterogeneous coupling and complex plate motion leading to rapid change of fault slip rate.

SUMMARYIn spite of growing evidence that many earthquakes are preceded by increased seismic activity, the nature of this activity is still poorly understood. Is it the result of a mostly random process related to the natural tendency of seismic events to cluster in time and space, in which case there is little hope to ever predict earthquakes? Or is it the sign that a physical process that will lead to the impending rupture has begun, in which case we should attempt to identify this process. With this aim we take a further look at the nucleation of two of the best recorded and documented strike-slip earthquakes to date, the 1999 Izmit and Düzce earthquakes which ruptured the North Anatolian Fault over ∼200 km. We show the existence of a remarkable mechanical logic linking together nucleation characteristics, stress loading, fault geometry and rupture speed. In both earthquakes the observations point to slow aseismic slip occurring near the ductile-to-brittle transition zone as the motor of their nucleation.

SUMMARYThe unbroken section of the North Anatolian Fault beneath the Sea of Marmara is a major source of seismic hazard for the city of İstanbul. The northern and currently the most active branch, the Main Marmara Fault (MMF), is segmented within a shear zone and exhibits both partially creeping and locked behaviour along its 150 km length. In 2019 September, a seismic activity initiated near MMF, off-coast the town of Silivri, generating 14 earthquakes ≥ Mw 3.5 in a week. The Mw 5.8 Silivri earthquake, is the largest in the Marmara Sea since the 1963 Mw 6.3 Çınarcık earthquake. Our analyses reveal that the activity started in a narrow zone (∼100 m) and spread to ∼7 km following an Mw 4.7 foreshock within ∼2 d. The distribution of relocated aftershocks and the focal mechanisms computed from regional waveforms reveal that the Mw 5.8 earthquake did not occur on the MMF, but it ruptured ∼60° north-dipping oblique strike-slip fault with significant thrust component located on the north of the MMF. Finite-fault slip model of the main shock shows 8 km long rupture with directivity toward east, where the ruptured fault merges to the MMF. The narrow depth range of the slip distribution (10–13 km) and the aftershock zone imply that the causative fault is below the deep sedimentary cover of the Marmara Basin. The distribution of aftershocks of the Mw 5.8 event is consistent with Coulomb stress increase. The stress changes along MMF include zones of both stress decrease due to clamping and right-lateral slip, and stress increase due to loading.

Earthquake-induced submarine slope destabilization is known to cause mass wasting and turbidity currents, but the hydrodynamic processes associated with these events remain poorly understood. Instrumental records are rare, and this notably limits our ability to interpret marine paleoseismological sedimentary records. An instrumented frame comprising a pressure recorder and a Doppler recording current meter deployed at the seafloor in the Sea of Marmara Central Basin recorded the consequences of a Mw 5.8 earthquake occurring on 26 September 2019 and of a Mw 4.7 foreshock 2 d before. The smaller event caused sediment resuspension and weak current ( cm s−1) in the water column. The larger event triggered a complex response involving a debris flow and turbidity currents with variable velocities and orientations, which may have resulted from multiple slope failures. A long delay of 10 h is observed between the earthquake and the passing of the strongest turbidity current. The distance traveled by the sediment particles during the event is estimated to have extended over several kilometers, which could account for a local deposit on a sediment fan at the outlet of a canyon (where the instrument was located), but the sedimentation event did not likely cover the whole basin floor. We show that after a moderate earthquake, delayed turbidity current initiation may occur, possibly by ignition of a cloud of resuspended sediment.

Author(s): Konca, A Ozgun; Guvercin, Sezim Ezgi; Ozarpaci, Seda; Ozdemir, Alpay; Funning, Gareth J; Dogan, Ugur; Ergintav, Semih; Floyd, Michael; Karabulut, Hayrullah; Reilinger, Robert | Abstract: SUMMARY The 2017 July 20, Mw6.6 Bodrum–Kos earthquake occurred in the Gulf of Gokova in the SE Aegean, a region characterized by N–S extension in the backarc of the easternmost Hellenic Trench. The dip direction of the fault that ruptured during the earthquake has been a matter of controversy where both north- and south-dipping fault planes were used to model the coseismic slip in previous studies. Here, we use seismic (seismicity, main shock modelling, aftershock relocations and aftershock mechanisms using regional body and surface waves), geodetic (GPS, InSAR) and structural observations to estimate the location, and the dip direction of the fault that ruptured during the 2017 earthquake, and the relationship of this event to regional tectonics. We consider both dip directions and systematically search for the best-fitting locations for the north- and south-dipping fault planes. Comparing the best-fitting planes for both dip directions in terms of their misfit to the geodetic data, proximity to the hypocenter location and Coulomb stress changes at the aftershock locations, we conclude that the 2017 earthquake ruptured a north-dipping fault. We find that the earthquake occurred on a 20–25 km long, ∼E–W striking, 40° north-dipping, pure normal fault with slip primarily confined between 3 and 15 km depth, and the largest slip exceeding 2 m between depths of 4 and 10 km. The coseismic fault, not mapped previously, projects to the surface within the western Gulf, and partly serves both to widen the Gulf and separate Kos Island from the Bodrum Peninsula of SW Anatolia. The coseismic fault may be an extension of a mapped, north-dipping normal fault along the south side of the Gulf of Gokova. While all of the larger aftershocks are consistent with N–S extension, their spatially dispersed pattern attests to the high degree of crustal fracturing within the basin, due to rapid trenchward extension and anticlockwise rotation within the southeastern Aegean.

This data sheet includes information on the relocated earthquake hypocenters around the East Anatolian Fault between the years of 2008-2019in the HYPOCENTER (Lienert and Havskov, 1995) format., {"references":["Lienert and Havskov, 1995"]}

The Sea of Marmara has been the focus of numerous marine geophysical studies during the last couple of decades. Determination of the interseismic slip distribution along the Main Marmara Fault (MMF) has observational difficulties due to the fact that the fault is under the sea. In addition to the onshore geodetic studies, two underwater geodetic studies were carried out recently and brought new clues about locked/creeping status of two different fault segments. In this study, we investigate the interseismic deformation of the Marmara region from a kinematic perspective using both block and continuum kinematic models. Block model inversion yields relative motion along the block boundaries as well as the distribution of slip deficit on the faults bounding the blocks. Calculated long term slip rates are 19–20 mm/yr for the MMF and 3–4 mm/yr for the Southern branch of the North Anatolian Fault (SNAF). In order to determine the sensitivity of the slip deficit solution to arbitrary spatial discretizations, we perform a series of checkerboard tests and optimize node distribution on the MMF accordingly. We also explore the sensitivity of inversion results on the MMF to assumptions regarding SNAF long term slip and interseismic locking. This study shows that the underwater geodetic data can be combined with the GPS data in a joint inversion, bringing a better constrained slip deficit distribution on the MMF. MMF has aseismic creep in the west of the Marmara Sea, with creep rates approaching long term slip rates in the Central Basin. On the other hand, the fault appears locked from $$\sim$$ 28.2°E eastward. In the best fitting model, the fault segment across Silivri is locked down to $$\sim$$ 10 km. The existence of a hazardous seismic gap in the Sea of Marmara, potentially yielding a magnitude 7.5 earthquake, is thus confirmed. The continuum approach is used to calculate strain rate fields from GPS data alone, from the output (slip rates and block average strain rates) of the best-fitting block model, and from the GPS residuals of this model. Our continuum models show that most of the accumulated strain in the Marmara region is indeed focused around the MMF, but also that strain distributed within the blocks cannot be neglected. On the other hand, the SNAF system differs from the MMF in that it appears as a 50 km wide zone of deformation with a patchy distribution of strain reflecting the activity of individual faults.

Continental deformation can be described in two end-member approaches: block (or microplate) and continuum models. The first considers a strong lithosphere with deformation localized in fault zones. For the latter, however, the lithosphere is weak and deforms as a thin viscous sheet. The Anatolia – Aegean domain represents both continuum and plate-like deformation. Furthermore, recent modeling studies suggest a dynamic support mechanism of the Anatolian plateaus, with dynamic topography estimates ranging from 1 to 3 km for various crustal models and geodynamic scenarios, although the gravity and crustal thickness data support predominant Airy isostasy. The solution to both intricacies relies on the thermal structure of the crust and the lithosphere. Available thermal considerations stem from either the uppermost mantle velocity structure or thermal modeling with assumptions on radiogenic heat production and boundary conditions. Yet, homogeneous and independent constraints on the lithospheric structure are scarce. We aim to contribute to this knowledge gap by providing Curie Point Depths (CPDs), which corresponds to the depth at which rock-forming minerals lose their magnetization at the Curie temperature, ~580 oC.Resolution of deep magnetic sources requires spectral methods with large windows, which reduce the CPD resolution. Moving & overlapping smaller windows have been used in order to increase the resolution, but these introduce spectral leakage and bias. In previous studies, subjective wavenumber ranges of the magnetic anomaly spectra were used, often combined with wrong scaling factors between map units and the equations. This resulted in generally erroneous CPD estimates. Furthermore, CPD uncertainties have often been unquantified for the study area. We use a wavelet transform method, which overcomes the artifacts due to segmentation of magnetic signal to finite windows, results in higher spatial resolution as well as enabling uncertainty estimation. We used as large an area as possible for constraining the edge effects away from the study area. The resultant CPD map spatially correlates well with low Pn velocity areas, locations of volcanoes, and thermal springs.

It has long been observed that periods of intense seismic activity in a region alternate with periods of relative quiescence, but establishing whether this is the expected result of purely random f...

Aseismic creep is detected and started to be monitored along the 100 km-long Palu-Hazar Segment of the Eastern Anatolian Fault (EAF) in Turkey, a major plate boundary between Anatolia and Arabia. We used creepmeters, InSAR, GPS, and seismic observations to document the extent and magnitude of this motion in order to increase our knowledge on the spatiotemporal variation of creep along the EAF, its relationship with the lithology and tectonic structures, and the stress change on the neighboring fault segments. Until now, we observed the region with continuous GPS and survey GPS measurements with near (~ 0.1- 4 km to the fault) and far-field (~25 – 225 km from the fault) stations to determine the depth of the creep zone and its velocity along the EAF. We processed 6 years (2014 – 2019) of continuous and 7 campaign (2015 – 2019) GPS data with GAMIT/GLOBK software. With elastic models, we determined a creep rate that reaches about 5 ± 0.3 mm/yr from GPS observations (50% of secular velocity). In addition to surface control of the creeping zone, we analyzed the deformations, by using three Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) survey, in the Palu railway tunnel that crosses the fault where the walls of the tunnel have been offset by 15 ± 2 mm since the construction in the middle of the last century. Also, two creepmeters were installed inside the tunnel and transient creep anomalies are detected. These results are correlated with seismic and InSAR data (This study is supported by TUBITAK 1001 projects 114Y250 and 118Y450).Keywords: Hazar-Palu, Creep, East Anatolian Fault, Earthquake, GPS, InSAR, TLS

Based on >20 years of GPS observations and seismological works, direct constraints on the strain accumulation along the Main Marmara Fault (MMF) show different characteristics from Princess Islands to Ganos Fault. Ganos and Princess Island segments identified as locked based on GPS and seismological observations while the part of the Central Marmara segment show partially creeping behaviour. Moreover, around the Kumburgaz Basin, GPS data could be explained by creep models in contrast to fully locked seismic models. Clearly, there are many puzzling questions on the nature of strain accumulation on the MMF, under the constrain of various data sets. In order to contribute to a better understanding of this fault the observation capacity of geodesic network has been increased along the northern coast of the Marmara Sea and supported by seismological stations as well as Marine Geodesy.In September, 2019, an intense earthquake activity started between Central Marmara and Kumburgaz Basin. The mainshock occurred on 26 September 2019 (Mw5.8) as a largest earthquake, since 1963 Mw6.3 Cinarcik earthquake, in the Marmara Sea. A foreshock activity started 4 days before the mainshock and the largest one (Mw4.7) observed on September 24, close to the mainshock. The mechanisms of the mainshock and the large aftershocks as well as foreshocks are dominantly strike-slip with a significant reverse component. The aftershocks are located on the north of the MMF trace.Here we investigate the geodetic data related to this event, with the aim to shed some light on the complexly segmented MMF. We observed co-seismic offsets at the nearest 6 GPS stations (~12-20 km far to the epicenter) along the northern coastline of the Sea of Marmara. The estimated offsets are not big and change between 1-3 mm on horizontal and 1-10 mm on vertical components. All of the stations are located on the northern part of the hypocenter and exhibit predominant NS-direction movement, which is inconsistent with a primarily E-W right lateral transform system. Instead, the co-seismic pattern can be explained with a complex earthquake mechanism which has a dominant reverse component while the strike-slip component is relatively insignificant, based on Okada-type elastic models and geodetic moment magnitude obtained as ~6.2. The total cumulative moment using geodesy is much higher than the total seismic cumulative moment of earthquake activity (~M5.9), and the thrust component is also more dominant in comparison the focal mechanisms from regional data. Obviously, geodetic co-seismic offsets estimated from daily-based data and they include pre-and post-earthquake deformations. In addition, the tide-gauge data (station distance is 25 km far to epicenter) was analyzed and it shows the strong variations after Mw 4.7 and they faded out after Mw5.8. This sea level change, which temporally correlates with the seismic activity, gives important evidence about the possibilities of pre-earthquake activity. Using GPS time series, we intend to explore the pre-earthquake anomalies and, to reduce the discrepancy between seismological and geodetic models. (This study is supported by TUBITAK 1001 Project no: 117Y278).

Southwestern Anatolia is part of a N-S extensional regime mainly driven by rollback along the Hellenic subduction zone beneath the Aegean Sea. This seismically active area is controlled primarily by normal fault systems. The fault structures in the region are segmented and in many cases seismic interaction between these segments can be observed.2017 seismic activity along the Eastern and Western edges of Gökova Bay. Within the same year, three separate moderate sized (Mw~5) events took place near the town of Ula (Muğla) on the eastern edge of Gökova Bay. One of these earthquakes occurred in April before the Bodrum-Kos earthquake while the other pair occurred in November within two days.We relocated all the events that occurred in Ula region in 2017 and remodeled the source mechanisms from regional seismic waveforms by using Bayesian Earthquake Analysis Tool (BEAT). The surface deformations can also be clearly observed from InSAR tracks of both ascending and descending orbits. Because of the large noise margins of the interferograms, atmospheric noise corrections and high resolution DEM data were used.Due to temporal and spatial proximity of the two Mw~5 events during the November sequence, InSAR yields only cumulative deformation of the earthquakes. Therefore, we determined the contribution of each event to the cumulative static displacements observed by InSAR data, using the source models from seismic waveforms. The locations and the source mechanisms of the two Mw~5 earthquake are consistent and explain the observed surface deformation.Our results imply that these earthquakes occurred on a previously unknown normal fault rather than the southeastern branches of the nearby Muğla Fault as proposed earlier. The results are consistent with the recently mapped fault structure by Akyüz et al. (2018). The November activity implies EW trending, south dipping normal faulting system and the change in the strike direction of the fault on the eastern edge can be clearly seen both InSAR and waveform modelling results of April activity.Co-seismic and post-seismic InSAR analysis shows that the seismic activity following the 2017 Mw6.6 Bodrum-Kos propagated from western Gökova Bay where rupture occurred toward east including the Ula region. A long term comparison of seismicity beneath Gökova Bay and Ula region shows that the seismicity in these two regions are temporally correlated. Hence, while the aforementioned moderate sized earthquakes are not directly triggered by the Bodrum-Kos earthquake, increased seismic activity following Bodrum-Kos earthquake shows that the stress changes in these two regions affect each other. The location errors of the events especially the depth errors in the catalogs and the active fault structure in the area cannot be realized without any geodetic or seismic data analysis. This study claims that the interpretations of the moderate size earthquakes should be studied by using multidisciplinary data sets.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis work is supported by the Turkish Directorate of Strategy and Budget under the TAM Project number DPT2007K120610.

A massive template-matching approach is successfully applied in Marmara Sea region along the North Anatolian Fault, during the 2009-2014 period to enrich the description of the time and space evolution of the seismicity. Detection of events are performed on the continuous data recorded from 2009 to 2014 combining two types of catalogs as templates: a finely constructed catalog for the three first year (2009-2011) (Schmittbuhl et al, 2016) and a raw catalog from KOERI for the last three years (2012-2014). Magnitudes (Ml) are estimated for all detected events using relative amplitudes of the highly coherent waveforms between new events and template events. The template database provides a nearly threefold increase of the number of small events (more than 15000 earthquakes compare to the 4673 events of the initial catalog). Combined with a double-difference relocation based on cross-correlation differential travel-time data, the database is shown to be a relevant framework for the long term monitoring of specific remanent structures like seismic swarms or repeating earthquakes. The obtained catalog confirms the strong contrast of behaviors along the Main Marmara Fault (MMF): deep creeping to the west (Central Basin), fully locked in the center (Kumburgaz Basin) and dominated by fluid and off-fault activity to the east (Cinarcik Basin).

The North Anatolian Fault (NAF) is a 1600 km dextral transform fault accommodating the motion between Anatolia and Eurasia Plates. The segments beneath the Marmara Sea, are the only part of the NAF that did not break since the 20thcentury. Recent studies show that this 150 km seismic gap is characterized by heterogeneous interseismic behavior and significantly high background seismicity with respect to the other parts of the NAF.On September 24 2019, an activity started north of the Main Marmara Fault (MMF) including a Mw4.7 earthquake, which led to the Mw5.8 mainshock several days later. The 2019 Mw5.8 Silivri earthquake is the largest since 1963 Mw6.3 Cinarcik earthquake in the Marmara Sea. This sequence occurred at a location that is immediate north west of the Central Basin; between a zone that is possibly partially creeping (Central Basin) to the west and a possibly locked segment to the east (Kumburgaz Basin). In this study we used template search for detection of earthquakes, relocated the earthquakes, obtained focal mechanism solutions of earthquakes that are M>4 and obtained a finite-fault slip model of the Mw5.8 mainshock. Using template cross-correlation, a total of 400 earthquakes were detected in this sequence. The activity started in a relatively narrow zone and spread to larger distances following the Mw4.7 mainshock. The depth distribution shows that the earthquakes are confined to a narrow zone between the depths of 9-13 km. The focal mechanisms show that there are two clusters; the cluster to the northwest show a ~70°north dipping fault with rake angles about ~160°, while the activity toward east converges to the Main Marmara Fault and dip angle is close to ~70°with rake angles of ~140°. The finite-fault model shows a bilateral rupture that propagated down-dip from the hypocenter.We conclude that the seismic activity occurred on a fault that is within the Main Marmara Shear Zone beneath the sedimentary basin. This secondary fault possibly connects to the Main Marmara Fault to the east. There is no evidence that the causative fault continues up-dip into the basin. Another characteristic of this sequence is that all of the focal mechanisms show significant thrust component in addition to the expected right-lateral motion. The January 2020 Mw4.7 earthquake that occurred in the same zone between the two clusters have predominantly thrust mechanism, confirming that this zone is under local compression. The observed thrust component is possibly related to change of the width of the shear zone with narrowing from Central Basin to the west to Central High to the east and/or the change of the interseismic behavior of the fault from partially creeping Central Basin and locked Kumburgaz Basin segments.

We studied the mechanisms and spatiotemporal distribution of aftershocks of the Mw 7.1 Van earthquake, in Eastern Turkey. The Van earthquake occurred on an E-W trending thrust fault, in a region under N-S compression due to the convergence of the Arabian plate toward Eurasia. We relocated the seismicity by combining catalogs from two agencies and studied the source mechanisms of the Mw 3.5–5.6 aftershocks using regional body and surface waves. In addition to the aftershocks with thrust mechanism on the mainshock fault, we identified three clusters with strike-slip activity. Two of the clusters are on the left-lateral faults perpendicular to the mainshock fault and are located at the lateral termination of the co-seismic rupture in each direction. Both western and eastern strike-slip clusters were triggered within the first few hours following the mainshock. They were initiated very close to the mainshock rupture plane and propagated away toward the south and north respectively. These two dominantly strike-slip zones are connected to the mainshock fault at a depth of 15 km and possibly determined the lateral extent of the 2011 rupture. This system of two bounding left lateral faults with a thrust fault in between is overall consistent with the N-S convergent tectonic regime in the region. The complex geometry explains unexpected post-seismic motion at a GPS site and can be used to improve the post-seismic slip estimate of the earthquake. The third strike-slip cluster with 17 days delay occurred on an E-W trending right-lateral fault and 40 km on the south of the mainshock. The three activated faults have experienced Coulomb stress increase due to co-seismic rupture. In addition, most of the seismicity has occurred in regions that experienced Coulomb stress increase.

In the Eastern Mediterranean, the convergence of Nubia and Eurasia is accommodated along the Hellenic and Cyprus Trenches. The plate geometry and mode of convergence to the east of the Hellenic Trench remains poorly understood. Specifically, along the west of Cyprus, tomography models reveal NW striking high velocity anomaly, which is interpreted as a slab named as the Antalya slab. However, near surface observations pertaining to the top 15 km of the convergence zone show no evidence of an active subduction in the region. In this study, we investigate the seismic activity along the Antalya slab in order to constrain the mode of convergence and the geometry along this plate boundary. Towards this end, we obtain a new focal mechanism catalogue with reliable centroid depths for earthquakes Mw > 4 from regional waveforms by using path dependent seismic velocity models. Our results indicate that the subduction is still active along the plate boundary segment between Cyprus and Anaximander seamount. The earthquakes along the slab interface reveal a NE-dipping slab with a dip angle of ~35°. Slip vectors show a pure convergent motion which is consistent with relative motion of Anatolia with respect to Nubia. We also identify a number of intraslab earthquakes down to a depth of 120 km along the Antalya slab. The T-axis of intraslab earthquakes show down-dip extension consistent with negatively buoyant subducting slab. The Paphos fault bounds the Antalya slab to the east where previously large right-lateral earthquakes occurred, which marks the relative motion of the Antalya slab with respect to the eastern Cyprus slab. Based on slab isodepth contours of the slab interface, we calculate ~100 km offset between the 80 km depth contours of the Antalya and Cyprus slabs. The western boundary of the Antalya slab possibly lies between the Anaximander and Anaximenes seamounts, where several left-lateral earthquakes are obtained. The western boundary of the Antalya slab can also be identified from orientation change of normal fault earthquakes along overriding plate which shows the limit of N-S extension due to roll-back of the neighboring Hellenic slab.

The Main Marmara Fault (MMF) which crosses the whole Marmara Sea is a significant seismic gap along the North Anatolian Fault. Here we show that nine long-lasting strike-slip seismic repeaters exist below the Central basin within the seismogenic zone, in a 10 km region where deep creep was previously suggested from the analysis of the local seismicity. The typical recurrence time is 8 months during the 2008-2015 period. The cumulative slip of the repeating sequence appears to be compatible with the regional geodetic slip rate if they are assumed to be part of a large single asperity (10 km). The repeaters also exhibit short term crises and are possibly related to bursts of creep.

The seismicity along the Main Marmara Fault (MMF) below the Marmara Sea is analyzed during the 2007–2012 period to provide insights on the recent evolution of this important regional seismic gap. High precision locations show that seismicity is strongly varying along strike and depth providing fine details of the fault behavior that are inaccessible from geodetic observations. The activity strongly clusters at the regions of transition between basins. The Central basin shows significant seismicity located below the shallow locking depth inferred from GPS measurements. Its b-value is low and the average seismic slip is high. All observations are consistent with a deep creep of this segment. On the contrary, the Kumburgaz basin at the center of the fault shows sparse seismicity with the hallmarks of a locked segment. In the eastern Marmara Sea, the seismicity distribution along the Princes Island segment in the Cinarcik basin, is consistent with the geodetic locking depth of 10 km and a low contribution to the regional seismic energy release. The assessment of the locked segment areas provide an estimate of the magnitude of the main forthcoming event to be about 7.3 assuming that the rupture will not enter significantly within creeping domains.

International audience; The engines of surface deformation in the Anatolia-Aegean region are a matter of debate, including the origin of the high elevations of the Anatolian plateau. Recent publications based on geological and thermomechanical modelling emphasize the role of dynamic topography in the plateau uplift. However, quantitative estimates of the contribution of dynamic topography are affected by large uncertainties due to insufficient knowledge of the crustal structure, in particular crustal thickness and density. To reduce these uncertainties, we provide a new accurate crustal thickness map of the Anatolia-Aegean domain computed from a large volume of broadband seismic data. In addition, we display high-resolution seismic sections of the internal structure of the crust in Western and Central Anatolia. Density contrasts are derived from the same seismic data set and Bouguer gravity anomaly computed from the EGM2008 model. Our crustal thickness model is highly correlated with the topography suggesting that the Anatolian plateau is close to isostatic equilibrium. The average density difference between crust and upper mantle computed from our crustal model and Bouguer gravity anomaly is low compared to the global average, ∼0.315 ×10 3 kg m −3. The ratio of surface elevation to crustal thickness is lower than average, 1/9.4, which also indicates a low-density crust. Differences between isostatic topography and observed topography are overall small (

This study aimed to investigate the possible reproductive toxicity dose of bisphenol A (BPA) in male New Zealand white rabbits. Prior to the experiment, male rabbits (n = 24) were acclimatized to laboratory conditions and trained for semen collection for 14 days. After the training period, rabbits were divided into 4 groups of 6: positive controls and 3 different doses of BPA (10, 20 and 100 mg/kg/day). All treatments were administered by oral gavages for 9 weeks following the training period. At the end of the study, BPA negatively affected the serum testosterone, testicular superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Sperm concentrations and percent progressive motility were significantly declined in BPA treated rabbits. LOAEL value of BPA for reproductive parameters was 10 mg/kg/day.

International audience; A better understanding of what drives surface motion in the rapidly deforming Aegean–Anatolia region requires the comparison of mantle circulation models with reliable and densely spaced seismic anisotropy data. We present a new set of 4279 high-quality splitting data of core-refracted shear waves measured at 216 permanent and temporary broadband seismic stations in Turkey and Greece, and their neighboring countries. When combined with previously published observations, our dataset provides unprecedented dense spatial coverage of the area. The delay time between the fast and slow shear waves is highest in the northern Aegean Sea and northwestern Anatolia (average, 1.5 ± 0.4 s) and lowest in the southern Aegean Sea (average 0.6 ± 0.4 s) The fast-wave polarization axes are oriented NE–SW over most of Anatolia and the northern Aegean Sea. These show steady counterclockwise rotation of 1° per degree of longitude from eastern Anatolia to the northern Aegean. The only exceptions to this uniform pattern are NNW–SSE to NW–SE orientations in mainland Greece, and NW–SE orientations in the southwestern corner of Anatolia. The overall anisotropy pattern can be explained by instantaneous density–driven mantle flow with additional local effects, such as slab rollback in the Aegean Sea and a slab window beneath southwestern Anatolia.

On February 21, 2007, a moderate-sized (Mw 5.7) earthquake struck the town of Sivrice (Elazig, Turkey) located within the East Anatolian Fault (EAF) zone that forms the boundary between the Arabian and Anatolian plates. The earthquake source parameters of the mainshock reported by different agencies are significantly different. In the mean time, the relation of this earthquake to the EAF has not been fully explored. In this study, we combine remotely sensed Synthetic Aperture Radar data obtained from ENVISAT ASAR images (European Space Agency) with relocated seismicity to map the observed surface displacement field, resolve the earthquake source parameters and determine the fault plane geometry. We calculated coseismic interferograms from both ascending and descending orbits and modeled them by elastic dislocations on rectangular fault surfaces using a downhill simplex simulated annealing algorithm. InSAR analysis and seismicity distribution reveal that the earthquake took place on the Adiyaman fault (AF), a major southern splay of the EAF. The ruptured part of the AF has a listric geometry with an oblique normal slip (rake − 73 ± 21 ° ), and a strike of N42 ° E. The computed coseismic slip is 64 ± 18 cm with a moment magnitude of Mw 5.9. The resolved fault plane has a steep dip (greater than 80 ° ) near the surface and mildly dipping at depths between 3.6 and 8.5 km (dip 63 ± 4 ° ). The kinematics of the faulting is supported by the observed transtensional left-lateral strike-slip regime in the region of tectonic depression of Hazar Lake.

International audience; We review the geodynamic evolution of the Aegean-Anatolia region and discuss strain localisation there over geological times. From Late Eocene to Present, crustal deformation in the Aegean backarc has localised progressively during slab retreat. Extension started with the formation of the Rhodope Metamorphic Core Complex (Eocene) and migrated to the Cyclades and the northern Menderes Massif (Oligocene and Miocene), accommodated by crustal-scale detachments and a first series of core complexes (MCCs). Extension then localised in Western Turkey, the Corinth Rift and the external Hellenic arc after Messinian times, while the North Anatolian Fault penetrated the Aegean Sea. Through time the direction and style of extension have not changed significantly except in terms of localisation. The contributions of progressive slab retreat and tearing, basal drag, extrusion tectonics and tectonic inheritance are discussed and we favour a model (1) where slab retreat is the main driving engine, (2) successive slab tearing episodes are the main causes of this stepwise strain localisation and (3) the inherited heterogeneity of the crust is a major factor for localising detachments. The continental crust has an inherited strong heterogeneity and crustal-scale contacts such as major thrust planes act as weak zones or as zones of contrast of resistance and viscosity that can localise later deformation. The dynamics of slabs at depth and the asthenospheric flow due to slab retreat also have influence strain localisation in the upper plate. Successive slab ruptures from the Middle Miocene to the Late Miocene have isolated a narrow strip of lithosphere, still attached to the African lithosphere below Crete. The formation of the North Anatolian Fault is partly a consequence of this evolution. The extrusion of Anatolia and the Aegean extension are partly driven from below (asthenospheric flow) and from above (extrusion of a lid of rigid crust).

International audience; Western Turkey provides spectacular examples of the two end-member models of deformation of the continental lithosphere, with strain localization along the North Anatolian fault and distributed north–south extension along the Aegean coast. To provide constraints on the mechanisms of continental deformation, we present a new high-resolution image of lithospheric structure along a ∼650 km transect crossing Western Anatolia at 28°E longitude from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. More than 2600 receiver functions are computed from records of teleseismic earthquakes at 40 broadband seismic stations with an average spacing of 15 km. Lateral variations of crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio are inferred from both H-k and common conversion point stacks. We observe long-wavelength variations of Moho depth from ∼31 km in the Thrace basin to ∼25 km beneath the Marmara Sea, ∼32 km beneath the Izmir–Ankara suture, ∼25 km beneath the Menderes Massif and ∼20 km on the coast of the Mediterranean. No mid- or lower-crustal interface is visible in the migrated depth section and seismic discontinuities are confined to the shallow crust. The small-amplitude and long-wavelength lateral variations of the Moho topography suggest that viscous flow in a hot lower crust has smoothed out the lateral variations of crustal thickness induced by Cenozoic continent–continent collision. The crust–mantle boundary is flat beneath the central and southern Menderes Massif. The rougher Moho topography and more heterogeneous crust of the Marmara region likely result from transtension in the North Anatolian Fault Zone superimposed onto Aegean extension. The Moho of the subducted African lithosphere is observed dipping northward between ∼40 and ∼60 km depth at the southern end of the profile. The abrupt termination of the subducted slab only 50 km to the north of the Mediterranean coast confirms the slab tear inferred from previous tomographic studies.

[1] We investigate the effect of dynamic and static stress changes produced by the 1999 Izmit earthquake, on four preexisting seismic clusters located in the eastern Marmara sea, beyond the western termination of the earthquake rupture. These four clusters show long-lasting modifications in their seismicity rate. We observe that these seismic activity variations are related to stress changes. Dynamic stress pulses activate strike-slip faulting instantaneously, but in the absence of a concomitant static Coulomb stress increase, this activation is short lived. Indeed, a large dynamic stress combined with a negative static Coulomb stress may result in an immediate activation followed by the occurrence of a seismicity shadow. In contrast, the activation of extensional clusters begins slowly and takes a few days to fully develop. It is also remarkably long lasting and does not follow a classical Omori decay. More than 10 years after the earthquake, the extensional clusters located near the termination of the rupture, where static stress and pressure changes were high, are still activated.

SUMMARY This study provides new constraints on the upper-mantle structure from western Greece to central Anatolia using seismic data of permanent broad-band networks recently installed in Greece and Turkey and from a two-year temporary array (SIMBAAD experiment). We used ∼200 seismic events recorded at 146 broad-band stations with a typical interstation distance of 60–100 km across the study area. The high-resolution 3-D shear wave velocity model of the mantle is obtained by inversion of fundamental-mode Rayleigh wave phase velocity maps for periods between 20 and 195 s. The tomography is based on ray tracing in heterogeneous media taking into account external propagation effects. The horizontal resolution is approximately 100 km, however small heterogeneities may suffer from some horizontal smearing and damping. The vertical resolution is approximately 100 km. The vertical smoothing is necessary to avoid unresolved spurious shear wave velocity oscillations in the upper mantle. The errors on shear wave velocities in our 3-D model (0.02–0.1 km s−1) are significantly smaller than the amplitude of Vs variations (0.3–0.5 km s−1). In spite of the vertical and horizontal smoothing, our model shows details in the upper-mantle structure never reached at regional scale in the area. The overall structure is characterized by a low-velocity zone (80–200 km depth) reflecting a slow and warm asthenosphere underlying a thin lithosphere. The southwesternmost termination of the low-velocity anomaly corresponds to the northward dipping Hellenic slab. The detailed shear velocity structure of the upper mantle beneath Anatolia appears to be far more geometrically complex than revealed in previous tomographic studies of the area. At depths larger than or equal to 160 km, velocities are overall high beneath Anatolia, partly due to the presence of dipping high-velocity anomalies which we tentatively interpret as remnant slabs. The southernmost high-velocity anomaly beneath Anatolia is separated from the eastern edge of the Hellenic slab by a major low-velocity anomaly which we interpret as the trace of asthenospheric mantle material rising inside a vertical slab tear beneath southwestern Anatolia.

SUMMARY This study presents an analysis of Pn traveltimes to determine lateral variations of velocity, anisotropy of uppermost mantle and crustal thickness beneath Turkey and adjacent regions. From 1999 to 2010, more than 50 000 Pn arrivals are compiled from 700 regional earthquakes and 832 stations of permanent and temporary networks operated in the study area. We used a regularized least-squares inversion to estimate the uppermost mantle parameters. The results reveal features that correlate well with the geology and the active tectonics of the region. Overall,thePnvelocitiesshowveryfast(>8.4kms –1 )andveryslow( 8.3 km s –1 ), western Black Sea Basin (>8.3 km s –1 ), Adriatic Sea (>8.3 km s –1 ) and Zagros Suture (>8.3 km s –1 ). Pn anisotropy has maximum amplitude of ±0.6 km s –1 in the study area. The largest and coherent anisotropic anomalies are observed in the western Anatolia, Aegean Sea and Cyprian Arc. Pn anisotropy in western Anatolia, Aegean Sea and Greece correlate well with the present deformation of N–S regional extension. No clear correlation between anisotropy and the shear deformation along the North Anatolian Fault was observed. The majority of the stations in central Anatolia show small station residuals indicating the average crustal thickness of 35 ± 2 km. Western Anatolia and the Aegean Sea have crustal thicknesses between 28 ± 2 and 33 ± 2 km. In Greece, the crustal thicknesses are increasing from 33 ± 3 km from the western coast to a maximum of 48 ± 3k m beneath Dinarides-Hellenides. The large crustal thicknesses are also observed along southern coast of Anatolia (40–48 km).

SUMMARY We present the analysis of a Love-wave dispersion study performed across Turkey and the surroundings. Group velocity dispersion curves were obtained from the local and regional earthquakes recorded at both permanent and temporary stations operated in the region. Lovewave group velocity maps in the period range of 10–50 s were computed using a tomographic inversion method. The study shows the existence of significantly different crustal types in the area. The group velocity anomalies are associated with the major geological structures in the region. Low group velocities at shorter periods (10–20 s) are observed in the local sedimentary basins, the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The eastern Anatolia region is also characterized by low group velocities while Pontides and Bitlis–P¨ ot¨ urge massif display higher group velocities. The central Anatolia exhibits uniform velocity distribution indicating more homogenous crust. The Isparta angle is marked by a wedge-shaped low group velocity anomaly. The low velocities observed in the Isparta angle are related to crustal thickening and subduction-related complex. High velocities observed on the maps are associated with metamorphics, magmatic arcs along the orogenic belts of Pontides, P¨

We analyze three moderate size earthquakes occurred in the Afyon region of southwestern Turkey on December 15, 2000 (M-w = 6.0) and February 3, 2002 (M-w = 6.5 and M-w = 5.8). This earthquake sequence took place on the Sultandag Fault having dominantly normal faulting mechanisms with different orientations in an extensional tectonic regime. We relocate these mainshocks and their large aftershocks and use the waveform data to determine the rupture dimensions and directivities. We carry out both static and dynamic stress analysis to investigate stress interactions and possible earthquake triggering mechanisms in this sequence. We show that the 2002, M-w = 6.5 rupture started at the termination of the 2000, M-w=6.0 earthquake, where the calculated Coulomb stress changes increased more than 0.5 bar. Thus, we conclude that the coseismic stress increase by the 2000 event favored the nucleation and promoted the timing of the 2002 event. An intense seismic activity, identified as the Kizildag aftershock zone, developed following both of the large mainshocks where the third largest earthquake (M-w = 5.8) of the sequence occurred 2 h after the 2002, M-w = 6.5 mainshock. The Coulomb stress calculations of the 2000 earthquake shows no influence in this zone while the static Coulomb stress changes due to the 2002, M-w=6.5 mainshock raised the Coulomb stresses an additional 0.3-0.7 bar in the Kizildag aftershock zone. Thus, we infer that such changes in the Coulomb stresses positively influence the occurrence of the aftershocks in this zone. Since the Kizildag aftershock zone takes place in a geothermal area, we compute dynamic stress changes imposed by the 2000 and 2002 mainshocks. The computed peak dynamic stress levels for both mainshocks are found much higher than the static stress changes calculated within the Kizildag aftershock zone. Thus, we propose that transient stress triggering, most likely involving elevated fluid pressures in the hydrothermal systems present in this region, may have played a major role in the initiation of increased seismicity followed by local, multiple elastic stress triggering leading to the further development of aftershocks and the occurrence of the M-w= 5.8 mainshock. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International audience; We document the establishment of the Aegea-Anatolia/Eurasia plate boundary in Pliocene-Pleistocene time. Before 2 Ma, no localized plate boundary existed north of the Aegean portion of the Anatolia plate and the shear produced by the motion of Anatolia-Aegea with respect to Eurasia was distributed over the whole width of the Aegean - West Anatolian western portion. In 4.5 Ma, a shear zone comparable to the Gulf of Corinth was formed in the present Sea of Marmara. The initial extensional basins were cut by the strike-slip Main Marmara Fault system after 2.5 Ma. Shortly after, the plate boundary migrated west of the Sea of Marmara along the northern border of Aegea from the North Aegean Trough, to the Gulf of Corinth area and to the Kefalonia Fault. There, it finally linked with the northern tip of the Aegean subduction zone, completing the system of plate boundaries delimiting the Anatolia-Aegea plate. We have related the change in the distribution of shear from Miocene to Pliocene to the formation of a relatively undeforming Aegea block in Pliocene that forced the shear to be distributed over a narrow plate boundary to the north of it. We attribute the formation of this block to the northeastward progression of the oceanic Ionian slab. We propose that the slab cuts the overlying lithosphere from asthenospheric sources and induces a shortening environment over it.

SUMMARY Three main shocks M-1, M-2 and M-3 (17 October 2005 at 05:45 UTC, M w 5.4; 17 October at 09:46 UTC, M w 5.8 and 20 October at 21:40 UTC, M w 5.9) and their associated after- shocks within the Gulf of Si˘ gacik, 50 km southwest of Izmir, Turkey were studied in detail. A temporary seismic network deployed during the activity allowed the hypocentre of M-3 and subsequent aftershocks to be determined with high accuracy. A relative relocation technique was used to improve the epicentres of M-1 and M-2. All three main shocks have strike-slip mechanisms which agree with the linear trends of the aftershock locations. Two distinct zones were illuminated by the aftershock locations. The zones contain clear echelon patterns with slightly different orientations from the trend of the aftershock distribution. M-2 and M-3 rup- tured along of the eastern rupture zone which aligns N45 ◦ E. However the strike direction of M-1 is not clearly identified. The alignment of the two rupture zones intersect at their southern terminus at an angle of 90 ◦ . The fault zones form conjugate pair system and static triggering is considered as a probable mechanism for the sequential west to east occurrence of M-1, M-2 and M-3. This earthquake sequence provides seismological evidence for conjugate strike-slip faulting co-existing within a region dominated by north-south extension and well-developed east-west trending normal faults.

International audience; We present observations of ground accelerations recorded at a small array close to the fault during the Düzce earthquake and its early aftershocks. The records show the strong spatial variability of ground acceleration over distances of only a few hundred metres. During the main shock, the peak horizontal acceleration values ranged from 0.3 to about 1.0 g at stations distant of 1.5 km only. We attribute this spatial variability to a fault zone site effect as peak ground acceleration steadily increases as the distance to the fault trace decreases. The spectral ratio between the ground motion recorded near the fault and the one outside the fault zone shows a shift of the spectral peak to lower frequencies with increasing peak accelerations. Such an observation suggests a non-linear behaviour of the fault zone due to the strong ground shaking. As much as a 45 per cent reduction in the shear wave velocity is necessary for the observed shifts. The opening of pre-existing cracks throughout the fault zone is the proposed mechanism to account for the observed shear wave reductions. The observation that elastic fault zone properties are soon recovered following episodes of large strains shows that cracks and fissures close rapidly after the strong shaking is over.

The July 2003 sequence in the Gulf of Saros (Northeastern Aegean Sea) is investigated, in terms of accurate event locations and source properties of the largest events. The distribution of epicenters shows the activation of a 25-km long zone, which extends in depth between 9 and 20 km. The major slip patch of the 6 July 2003 M-w 5.7 mainshock is confined in a small area (similar to 45 km(2)), which coincides with the deeper (12-20 km) part of the activated zone. The epicenters of the sequence follow the northern margin of the Saros depression. This observation supports recent studies, according to which the continuation of the Ganos fault in the Gulf of Saros does not coincide with the fault along the northern coast of the Gelibolu peninsula, but it is located at the northern boundary of the Saros depression. This is further supported by the fact that the focal mechanisms of the mainshock and of the largest aftershocks of the 2003 sequence imply almost pure dextral strike-slip faulting, whereas the fault bounding the Gulf of Saros to the south appears as a normal fault on seismic sections. Thus, we infer that the principle deformation zone consists of a major strike-slip fault, which lies close to the northern margin of the Saros depression and this fault could be regarded as the continuation of the northern branch of the North Anatolian Fault into the Saros Gulf and North Aegean Trough as suggested by regional tectonic models. The northeastern extent of the 2003 sequence marks the western termination (at similar to 26.3 degrees E) of a long-term seismic quiescence observed in the period following the 1912 Ganos earthquake, which may be associated with the extend of the rupture of the particular earthquake. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International audience; We use the strong motion data recorded at near-fault accelerometers combined with Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements to infer the space and time evolution of the M w = 7.2 1999 November 12 Düzce (Turkey) earthquake. We confirm that the rupture is subshear towards the west whereas it overpassed the shear speed towards the east. The mechanism of the earthquake is predominantly right lateral on a 65 • north-dipping fault. The strike-slip we infer represents at least 75% of the total seismic moment. We stress that the use of strong motion data allows us to constrain a strong spatial variation of the slip direction during faulting: to the west of the hypocentral region, the slip is oblique accompanied by a significant normal component. In the central and eastern part of the activated fault the slip is almost pure right lateral. This result is consistent both with the surface offset observations and with the long-term morphology of the fault. Neither strong motion data nor GPS data can resolve the complexity of the eastern termination of the Düzce rupture.

We use continuous recordings at four stations installed near the eastern termination of the Izmit rupture to analyze the seismic activity there during the 5 hr leading to the Duzce earthquake. The records clearly show the presence of three groups of events. One of the groups originates from the middle of the Izmit rupture and consists of aftershocks of the M 5.7 Spanca Lake earthquake that had occurred a day earlier and was itself, to date, the second largest aftershock in the Izmit sequence. A second group of events is spread over the 30-km-long eastern (Karadere) segment of the Izmit rupture, and a comparison with the number of aftershocks expected, based on decay laws for similar sequences in other regions, suggests that seismic activity was high on the eastern segment in the hours leading to the Duzce earthquake. The third group of events occurs beyond the termination of the Izmit rupture and clusters around the hypocenter of the Duzce earthquake. It shows that, in the little over 5 hr leading to the Duzce earthquake, this destructive event was preceded by six precursory shocks ranging in magnitude from 0.9 to 2.6. Manuscript received 30 August 2000.

We used seismic stations that we deployed after the Izmit earthquake along the shores and islands of the Izmit Bay-Cinarcik basin to study the seismic activity that took place after the earthquake in the eastern Marmara Sea. The aftershock distribution indicates the existence of three clusters of activity there in the days that followed the earthquake. One of the clusters shows the extension of the E-W-trending Izmit rupture into the eastern Marmara Sea. The seismic activity there clearly outlines the fault plane of the main rupture and shows its termination 35 km beyond the Hersek peninsula. Two other clusters of activity are present in the region. One is in the Armutlu peninsula and the other one is located a few kilometers southwest of the Tuzla peninsula beneath the northern slope of the Cinarcik basin. The focal mechanism solutions indicate strike-slip faulting along the main branch of the Izmit rupture and normal faulting within the two swarms. The presence of the different mechanisms suggests the existence of slip partitioning in the region. A remarkable feature of the aftershock data is the absence of seismicity above 4 km in the Marmara Sea. Manuscript received 30 August 2000.