Paleoseismology of the Palu–Lake Hazar segment of the East Anatolian Fault Zone, Turkey |
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| Authors: | Hasan Cetin Hakan Güneyli Larry Mayer |
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| Institution: | a Department of Geology, Faculty Engineering and Architecture, Çukurova University, Balcali-Adana, 01330, Turkey;b Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA |
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| Abstract: | The East Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ) is among the most important active continental transform fault zones in the world as testified by major historical and minor instrumental seismicity. The first paleoseismological exploratory trenching study on the EAFZ was done on the Palu–Lake Hazar segment (PLHS), which is one of the six segments forming the fault zone, in order to determine its past activity and to assess its earthquake hazard.The results of trenching indicate that the latest surface rupturing earthquakes on this segment may be the Ms=7.1+ 1874 and Ms=6.7 1875 events, and there were other destructive earthquakes prior to these events. The recurrence interval for a surface rupturing large (M>7) earthquake is estimated as minimum 100±35 and maximum 360 years. Estimates for the maximum possible paleoearthquake magnitude are (Mw) 7.1–7.7 for the Palu–Lake Hazar segment based on empirical magnitude fault rupture relations.An alluvial fan dated 14,475–15,255 cal years BP as well as another similar age fan with an abandoned stream channel on it are offset in a left-lateral sense 175 and 160.5 m, respectively, indicating an average slip rate of 11 mm/year. Because 127 years have elapsed since the last surface rupturing event, this slip rate suggests that 1.4 m of left-lateral strain has accumulated along the segment, ignoring possible creep effects, folding and other inelastic deformation. A 2.5 Ma age for the start of left-lateral movement on the segment, and in turn the EAFZ, is consistent with a slip rate of 11 mm/year and a previously reported 27 km total left-lateral offset. The cumulative 5–6 mm/year vertical slip rate near Lake Hazar suggests a possible age of 148–178 ka for the lake. Our trenching results indicate also that a significant fraction of the slip across the EAFZ zone is likely to be accommodated seismically. The present seismic quiescence compared with the past activity (paleoseismic and historic) indicate that the EAFZ may be “locked” and accumulating elastic strain energy but could move in the near future. |
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| Keywords: | Active tectonics Transform fault Earthquakes Paleoseismology East Anatolian fault Turkey |
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