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A 2500-yr-long paleoseismologic record of large, infrequent earthquakes on the North Anatolian fault at Cukurcimen, Turkey

Authors :
Hartleb, Ross D.
Dolan, James F.
Kozaci, Ozgur
Akyuz, H. Serdar
Seitz, Gordon G.
Source :
The Geological Society of America Bulletin. July-August, 2006, Vol. 118 Issue 7-8, p823, 18 p.
Publication Year :
2006

Abstract

Paleoseismologic trenches excavated across the North Anatolian fault near the village of Cukurcimen in north-central Turkey yield a complete record of surface ruptures for the past 2500 yr. The trenches provide mutually consistent evidence for the timing of the five most recent surface ruptures at the site, as well as at least two older events. These are interpreted as: (1) the historic 1939 Mw 7.9 earthquake; (2) the historic 1254 A.D. earthquake; (3) the historic 1045 A.D. earthquake; (4) an earthquake that probably occurred late in the interval between 250 and 540 A.D., possibly the historic 499 A.D. earthquake; and (5) an earthquake that occurred sometime between 770 and 50 B.C. (and probably between 230 and 50 B.C.). One additional earthquake occurred sometime between 1450 and 800 B.C., and at least one other surface rupture occurred between 2880 and 200 B.C., but the stratigraphic section at the site was not completely exposed for sediments older than ~2500 yr. As a result, it is unclear whether the oldest event horizons represent a single earthquake, or multiple events. Our findings, when coupled with other published results and the historical record, enable us to construct a space-time history of earthquakes along the North Anatolian fault. The most striking aspects of this analysis are: (1) the rarity of earthquakes at any given place along the fault, suggesting that the fault typically ruptures in large, infrequent events; (2) earthquake occurrence is relatively temporally regular, with inter-event times that range from ~200 to Keywords: North Anatolian fault, paleoseismology, active tectonics, earthquake occurrence, San Andreas fault.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00167606
Volume :
118
Issue :
7-8
Database :
Gale General OneFile
Journal :
The Geological Society of America Bulletin
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsgcl.148093046