High-resolution imaging of material interfaces at the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NW Turkey) from near-fault seismic recordings

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Marco Bohnhoff
• Subject Area: Geophysics
• Term: from 2012 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 208987811

The North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) has produced numerous large devastating earthquakes in historic times. In the here proposed study we aim at imaging the presence and properties of biomaterial interfaces and low-velocity damage zones at the NAFZ in NW Turkey. Our investigation will focus on four segments of the NAFZ representing three different stages during the seismic cycle: (1) the rupture of the 1912 Mw=7.4 Ganos earthquake; (2) the Marmara segment offshore Istanbul; (3) the rupture of the 1999 Mw=7.4 Izmit earthquake; and (4) the rupture of the 1944 Mw=7.3 earthquake. The analysis will be done primarily with Fault Zone Head Waves and Fault Zone Trapped Waves, which provide the most diagnostic signal for the existence of sharp bimaterial interfaces, and the highest-resolution tool for imaging their seismic properties. The obtained high-resolution images will contribute to fundamental aspects of earthquake and fault dynamics on the NAFZ, including the mode and propagation direction of earthquake ruptures, triggering and effective constitutive laws. Finally, this project is relevant for improved models of expected seismic shaking in the Istanbul-Marmara region in the light of the expected forthcoming mainshock.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: USA
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Yehuda Ben Zion; Dr. Patricia Martinez-Garzon