An international team led by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities has, for the first time, accurately determined the age and formation process of the East Anatolian fault, which runs from eastern to south-central Turkey and was involved in the creation of the Anatolian tectonic plate.
The fault zone was the site of two devastating earthquakes that occurred in Turkey and Syria in February 2023. While the researchers’ findings won’t help predict timing or size of earthquakes, it allows geologists to learn more about how long the area has been seismically active and how major earthquakes have shaped the landscape over time, which can help drive decision making for infrastructure and placement of homes.
Their paper is published in Geology, a leading peer-reviewed academic journal covering the geosciences fields published by the Geological Society of America.
The faults we see on the Earth’s surface are cracks caused by the movements of the planet’s massive tectonic plates. These movements cause stress to build up, and the release of that stress causes the earthquakes humans experience on the surface.
Read more at University Of Minnesota
Photo: A relief map shows the Anatolian plate and its boundaries, with yellow arrows indicating the motion of the plates. Photo credit: Donna Whitney