Seismotectonics and Geology of Troia and Surrounding Areas, Northwest Anatolia

Abstract

The Troia area and the surroundings, in northwest Anatolia, are located between two most active fault zones. These zones have developed under the influence of the north Anatolian fault system coupled with the Aegean N-S extension. These active fault systems have caused several severe earthquakes which damaged the Troia area. The morphology and geology of the region have evolved under strong tectonic control. Major morphological features of the region such as the gulfs of Saroz and Edremit, the Canakkale (Dardanelles) Strait and the Kazdag high are young, post-early Pliocene entities. They formed when the transtensional tectonic regime in the Aegean began. One of the major products of this system are the listric normal faults. They caused back-tilting of the down-thrown blocks which, in turn, diverted the major drainage to the north. As a result, increasingly more clastic materials have been transported to the Troia area where a large alluvial plain has developed.