Türkiye has more than known fault lines: Expert

ZONGULDAK

Following the magnitude 5.1 earthquake on Dec. 4 that shuddered Türkiye's northwestern provinces, such as Istanbul and Bursa, an expert has warned that the country has far more fault lines in the region than detected.

Professor Şenol Hakan Kutoğlu of Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University stated that the 5.1 magnitude earthquake between Gemlik Bay and Mudanya confirmed their studies and said, "We drew attention to faulting in the Bursa region 10-15 years ago."

“When we look at our current official fault maps, there are some faults in the region, but the ground motion map produced with satellite geodesy technology shows that there are many more faults in the region beyond the known faults,” Kutoğlu said.

"Tectonically, Türkiye is located in a very active region. Therefore, there are many more faults than we know," he added.

Kurtoğlu said that in their study, they identified three separate active fault branches that pass in front of Mudanya, south of the Armutlu Peninsula, and plunge into the Gulf of Gemlik, although they are not visible on existing maps.

“We observe that the earthquakes on Dec. 4 occurred within this triple fault system. It is said that the earthquake showed a normal pattern. The ground motion maps we have produced show that there are both horizontal and vertical movements here,” he stressed.

“First of all, ground movements need to be identified, active faults need to be located and their mechanisms need to be unraveled. This requires geological and geophysical studies and a great deal of cooperation,” Kutoğlu said, emphasizing the need to start work.