The Bursa–Gönen Depression, NW Turkey: a complex basin developed on the North Anatolian Fault

Abstract

In this study, we show that the southern branch of the North Anatolian Fault has been active since Late Pliocene time and that evidence of activity is supported by geological and seismological data. The southern branch of the North Anatolian Fault consists of four segments from west to east: Yenice-Gönen, Manyas-Mustafakemalpaşa, Uluabat and Bursa. These faults delimit the Bursa-Gönen Depression, with the Bandırma-Mudanya Uplift to the north and Uludag-Sularya Uplift to the south. The Bursa-Gönen Depression includes Upper Pliocene to Recent sediments that thicken to the south, suggesting a deposition pattern under active fault control. Study of fault kinematics suggests that the Bursa-Gönen Depression started as a small pull-apart basin during Late Pliocene time, and then evolved to a large depression. The faults delimiting this depression are still active and capable of producing future earthquakes.

A hypothesis for the alternative southern branch of the North Anatolian Fault Zone, Northwest Turkey

“…The Manyas-Karacabey Fault has not been recognized in previous studies (e.g. Selim and Tüysüz, 2013). The eastern border of the Ulubat pull-apart basin is limited by the Ulubat Fault (Emre et al, 1997), which corresponds a 2.6 km right lateral diversion of the Nilüfer stream at southwest of Bursa (Figure 2e).…”

“…The middle passes through Geyve -Pamukova, Lake İznik, and the Gemlik Gulf before turning southwest in the Bandırma Gulf. The northeast end of the southern branch has previously been thought to diverge from the middle branch via Mekece before continuing southwest through Yenişehir, Bursa, south of Lake Ulubat, Mustafakemalpaşa and eventually turning southwest around Gönen (Figure 1b) (Şengör, 1979;Barka and KadinskyCade, 1988;Koçyiğit, 1988;Barka and Kuşçu, 1996;Emre et al, 1997;Armijo et al, 1999;Yaltırak, 2002;Gürer et al, 2003;Şengör et al, 2005;Kurtuluş and Canbay, 2007;Yılmaz and Koral, 2007;Selim and Tüysüz, 2013;Le Pichon et al, 2014).…”

M ≥ 7 earthquake rupture forecast and time‐dependent probability for the sea of Marmara region, Turkey

“…Kinematics (SS = strike slip; N = normal); computed magnitude, strike and dip‐slip rate; length (L); depth (H); width (W); focal mechanism; last and penultimate events ages with their maximum expected magnitude ( M s ), computed by instrumental or historical data, otherwise by fault geometry [ Wells and Coppersmith , ]. Reference numbers refer to (1) Flerit et al [], (2) Ergintav et al [], (3) Meade et al [], (4) Barka [], (5) Dolu et al [], (6) Rockwell et al [], (7) Tibi et al [], (8) Klinger et al [], (9) Parson [], (10) Hergert and Heidbach [], (11) Armijo et al [], (12) Le Pichon et al [, ], (13) Carton et al [], (14) Laigle et al [], (15) Bulut et al [], (16) Ambraseys [], (17) Armijo et al [, ]; (18) Taymaz et al [] and McKenzie []; (19) Reilinger et al [], (20) Guidoboni and Comastri [], (21) Meghraoui et al [] and Aksoy et al [], (22) Motagh et al [], (23) Altunel et al []; (24) Rockwell et al [], (25) Gasperini et al [], (26) Yaltirak [] and McNeill et al [], (27) Ambraseys and Jackson [], (28) Barka [], (29) Ambraseys and Zatopek [], (30) Canitez [], (31) Palyvos et al [], (32) Straub et al [], (33) Ambraseys [], (34) Pucci et al [], (35) Pucci et al [], (36) Pantosti et al [], (37) Kondo et al [], (38) Barka and Kadinsky‐Cade [], (39) Ketin [], (40) Doğan et al [], (41) Guidoboni et al [], (42) Saroglu et al [], (43) Barka and Kuscu [], (44) Kuşçu et al [], (45) Selim and Tüysüz [] and Selim et al [], (46) Kürçer et al [], and (47) Kurtuluş and Canbay […”

The effects of the North Anatolian Fault on the geomorphology in the Eastern Marmara Region, Northwestern Turkey

“…With a high SI = 1.77, the meandering Ağva River has not taken the shortest path downslope. (Selim & Tüysüz, 2013). These data, together with the opening of several pull-apart basins, can be attributed to a transtensional tectonic regime that affected north-western Anatolia during the late Pliocene.…”

“…These data, together with the opening of several pull-apart basins, can be attributed to a transtensional tectonic regime that affected north-western Anatolia during the late Pliocene. GPS measurements and geological data show that the NAF has a transtensional character in its western end, possibly due to N-S Aegean extensional system (Selim & Tüysüz, 2013;Şengör et al, 2005). Unlike the relatively stationary northern Kocaeli Peneplain, the northern ArmutluAlmacık Zone has uplifted highly as shown by the geomorphic analyses above and uplifted marine terraces on the Hersek Delta.…”