Studying tectonic hazards along continental transform boundaries

Abstract

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Marmara-Trans Workshop; Istanbul, Turkey, 13-16 June 2011 Continental transform boundaries such as the North Anatolia Fault (NAF) in Turkey cross heavily populated regions and are associated with destructive earthquakes. Transtension along the northern branch of the NAF is responsible for the formation of the Marmara Sea, which is 150 kilometers long and subdivided into three approximately 1200-meter-deep subsiding basins. This submerged segment of the NAF is considered a seismic gap presenting high risk to Istanbul and its surroundings. To the east, two earthquakes in 1999 caused much damage and approximately 17,000 deaths.