Turkey: Even high tide can cause earthquakes in Istanbul
Ρήγμα που βρίσκεται στη νότια ακτή της Seaς του Μαρμαρά στην Theυρκία έχει συσσωρεύσει τόση τάση ώστε ακόμα και μικρές διακυμάνσεις στη στάθμη της θάλασσας μπορεί να προκαλέσουν σεισμούς, προειδοποιεί νέα μελέτη.
The researchers used sensitive seismographs to monitor the Armoutlou Peninsula fault, relatively close to Istanbul, for six months.
The chance of earthquakes up to 4,5 on the Richter scale increases significantly when sea levels transiently rise, the team reports in Geophysical Research Letters.
O danger it is maximized in winter, when storms magnify level fluctuations, the study estimates.
The Armutlou Fault is located in the Sea of Marmara opposite Istanbul (P. Martínez-Garzón et al. 2023)
"Sea level changes in the Sea of Marmara are small, up to 0,8 meters. The fact that these small fluctuations lead to earthquakes indicates that these faults need a minimal push to rupture," Patricia Martinez-Garson of the Helmholtz Geosciences Research Center told the Guardian. Germany, head of the study.
The onshore Armotlou Fault is a small branch of the North Anatolian Fault that passes through the Sea of Marmara just 20 kilometers from Istanbul.
It remains unclear whether the level fluctuations are affecting the large seismic arc, which was last activated in 1766 and is expected to trigger magnitude 7 earthquakes in the coming decades.
