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Constructing a 3D structural block diagram of the Central Basin in Marmara Sea by means of bathymetric and seismic data

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Abstract

In this study we made a comparative interpretation of multibeam bathymetric and seismic reflection data with different resolutions and penetration properties collected in the Central Basin of the Marmara Sea. Our main objectives were (i) to investigate and compare the active tectonic deformation observed on the sea bottom and within the uppermost sedimentary layers to that of the deep-seated deformation within the limits of resolution and penetration of the available geophysical data and (ii) to build a three-dimensional (3D) block diagram of the active tectonic and buried features by means of a sliced mapping technique. In this approach, we produced slice maps of the active and buried structural features at selected depths and then combined them to form a 3D structural block diagram. Motivation for our work was to produce a 3D structural diagram to derive a more detailed image of the structural features in the Central Basin where there is no available 3D seismic data. The observations from the bathymetry and seismic data and developed 3D diagram support the presence of a through-going strike-slip fault that forms a rotational depression zone against a right-stepping strike-slip faulting causing a pull-apart basin in the Central Depression zone.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by TÜBİTAK (Grant No: 102Y105). We thank the captains and crew members of R/V MTA Sismik-1, R/V Le Suroît and R/V Le Nadir for their effort during data acquisition. We thank the scientists and staff from Turkish institutes TÜBİTAK, MTA and SHOD, and from French institutes CNRS, INSU and IFREMER for collaborative work. We thank Drs. Celal Şengör, Naci Görür, Xavier Le Pichon, Alfred Hirn and Rolando Armijo for leading bathymetric and seismic data acquisition in the last decade in the Marmara Sea. We thank Drs. Haluk Eyidoğan, Ruhi Saatçılar, Semih Ergintav and Yavuz Hakyemez for their support to realize this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jeofizik Mühendisliği Bölümü, Maden Fakültesi, İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey

    Emin Demirbağ, Hülya Kurt & Doğa Düşünür

  2. Mineral Research and Exploration Directorate, Ankara, Turkey

    Kerim Sarıkavak

  3. Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council - Marmara Research Center, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Suna Çetin

Authors
  1. Emin Demirbağ
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  2. Hülya Kurt
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  3. Doğa Düşünür
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  4. Kerim Sarıkavak
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  5. Suna Çetin
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Correspondence to Emin Demirbağ.

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Demirbağ, E., Kurt, H., Düşünür, D. et al. Constructing a 3D structural block diagram of the Central Basin in Marmara Sea by means of bathymetric and seismic data. Mar Geophys Res 28, 343–353 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11001-007-9036-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11001-007-9036-3

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