Investigation of active tectonism structure of the Eastern Black Sea with using multichannel seismic data

Black Sea has attracted many researcher's attention due to its historical formation and geological structure. Even though there are many studies conducted by both Turkish and international researches and petroleum companies, there are still unresolved scientific questions on tectonics. To better understand the regional geology and investigate the geological formations and fault systems existing in the region, high resolution multi-channel seismic reflection data (approximately 1400 km) were collected in the Eastern Black Sea (around Rize and Trabzon) in 2010. This study was carried out within the scope of cooperation between Dokuz Eylül University Marine Science and Technology and Pukyong National University (PKNU). Collected lines cover some parts of shelf, the continental slope and deep basin. When the obtained seismic lines investigated, east-west trending fold belt was associated with left-lateral strike-slip Trabzon fault in the region. East-west trending fold belt is observed because of north-south trending thrust belts in the region and this fault belt was associated with reverse faults. The fault map of the region is constructed by investigating the positions, extension and characters of the existing faults in the region. In addition, geological structures like slip structures, turbidity and sediment waves have also observed commonly seen in the Black Sea region. Besides this, BSR (bottom simulating reflector) structure and presence of free gas have found in the study area. As a result, a resulting map showing all these structures was generated.