Neotectonic structures in Ä°zmir Gulf and surrounding regions (western Turkey): Evidences of strike-slip faulting with compression in the Aegean extensional regime

Of single channel, 70 km, and 900 km of multi-channel seismic reflection data show that Ä°zmir Gulf and surrounding regions are widely deformed by N-S to NE-SW trending active transpressional strike-slip faults, reverse faults and some E-W normal faults. Normal faults are mapped offshore Karaburun-Foça, in inner part of Ä°zmir Gulf; offshore Alaçatı-Teke and offshore Kuşadası delimiting the southern scarp of Lesvos basin, Ä°zmir basin, northern scarp of Ikaria basin and continuation of Küçük Menderes Graben, respectively. Normal faults are cut by strike-slip faults. The major strike-slip faults are the N-S oriented Karaburun reverse fault bordering Ä°zmir Gulf on the west and uplifting the Karaburun Peninsula and the NE-SW oriented strike-slip Tuzla Fault extending from Doğanbey Promontory towards Seferihisar ridge onland. This fault pattern can be explained by pure-shear model indicating that the area is under E-W compression, N-S extension, NE-SW and NW-SE strike-slip deformation. Moreover, Tuzla Fault has a regional importance. It separates NE-SW trending structures of the study area from E-W oriented Gediz and Küçük Menderes grabens and probably continues towards to Ä°znik at north constituting a transition zone between northern transpressional region and southern extensional region in the western Anatolia-Aegean Sea.