Determination of strain accumulation along Tuzla fault

Aegean Region is one of the most deforming parts of Alpine-Himalayan belt which isbounded by the Hellenic trench, mainland Greece and western Turkey. Anatolian plate isplaced between the Eurasian and African plates. The Anatolian plate moves counter-clockwise and it is observed that the velocity of this movement grows through west. AegeanRegion is an important place for geoscientists as it is a seismically active region whichincludes normal and lateral faults. In addition, the third biggest city in Turkey, İzmir is alsosettled in the region with nearly 4 million population.This study is carried out on the Tuzla Fault which is a right lateral strike slip fault,begins from Gaziemir district and dives under the sea from the Doganbey Cape. Historicalevidence shows that catastrophic earthquakes occurred on the Tuzla Fault. The Tuzla Faulthas created moderate earthquakes in the past two decades and still has the potential to createlarge earthquakes.The main objective of this study is to determine strain accumulation along the fault byusing the results of the GPS campaigns carried out in the study area. Analysis of GPS datashow that velocities reach up to 28.54 mm/yr ?1.90 mm/yr. and are consistent with thepresent-day tectonic deformation of the region. Principal components of crustal strain alongthe Tuzla Fault reach up to 140 nanostrain/yr. The strain rates are in accord with seismicityand the directions of the calculated strain rates reflect the expected behavior of NE - SWextension of the Aegean Region.