Geological Society, London, Special Publications
The geodynamics of the Aegean and Anatolia: introduction
T. Taymaz, Y. Yilmaz and Y. Dilek
Geological Society, London, Special Publications 2007; v. 291; p. 1-16
doi:10.1144/SP291.1

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© 2007 Geological Society of
LondonThe geodynamics of the Aegean and Anatolia: introduction
T. TAYMAZ1, Y. YILMAZ2 & Y. DILEK3
1

Department of Geophysical Engineering, İstanbul Technical University, Maslak,
TR– 34469, İstanbul, Turkey (e-mail: taymaz@itu.edu.tr)
2

Kadir Has University, Fatih, İstanbul, Turkey

3

Department of Geology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA

The complexity of the plate interactions andassociated crustal deformation in the Eastern
Mediterranean region is reflected in many destructive earthquakes that have occurred throughout
its recorded history, many of which are well
documented and intensively studied. The Eastern
Mediterranean region, including the surrounding
areas of western Turkey and Greece, is indeed oneof the most seismically active and rapidly deforming regions within the continents (Fig. 1). Thus,
the region provides a unique opportunity to
improve our understanding of the complexities ofcontinental tectonics in an actively collisional
orogen. The major scientific observations fromthis natural laboratory have clearly been helping
us to better understand the tectonic processes in
active collision zones, the mode and nature ofcontinental growth, and the causes and distributionof seismic, volcanic and geomorphological events(e.g. tsunamis) and their impact on societal lifeand civilization. The tectonic evolution of theEastern Mediterranean region is dominated by theeffects of subduction along the Hellenic (Aegean)arc and of continental collision in eastern Turkey(Anatolia) and the Caucasus. Northward subductionof the African plate beneath western Turkey andthe Aegean region is causing extension of thecontinental crust and volcanism in the overlying
Aegean extensional province. Eastern Turkey has
been experiencing crustal shortening and thickening as a result of northward motion of the Arabianplate relative to Eurasia and the attendant postcollisional magmatism (Taymaz et al. 1990,
1991a, b; McClusky et al. 2000, 2003; Dilek & Pavlides 2006, and references therein; Fig. 2). The
resulting combination of forces (the ‘pull’ fromthe subduction zone to the west and ‘push’ fromthe convergent zone to the east) is causing theTurkish plate to move southwestward, bounded bystrike-slip fault zones: the North Anatolian Fault
Zone (NAFZ) to the north and the East Anatolian
Fault Zone (EAFZ) to the south. Interplay
between dynamic effects of the relative motionsof adjoining plates thus controls large-scale
crustal deformation and the associated seismicity

and volcanism in Anatolia and the Aegean region(Taymaz et al. 2004).

Regional synthesis
Given its location in the Alpine –Himalayan
orogenic belt, and at the collisional boundary
between Gondwana and Laurasia, the geologicalhistory of the Aegean region and Anatolia involves
the Mesozoic –Cenozoic closure of several Neotethyan oceanic basins, continental collisions andsubsequent post-orogenic processes (e.g. Sengör& Yılmaz 1981; Bozkurt & Mittwede 2001; Okay
et al. 2001; Dilek & Pavlides 2006; Robertson &Mountrakis 2006). The opening of oceanic branches
of Neotethys commenced in the Triassic andthey closed during the Late Cretaceous to Eocene
time interval. The closure of Neotethyan basinsis recorded by several suture zones (e.g. Vardar,
Izmir –Ankara–Erzincan, Bitlis–Zagros, IntraPontide, Antalya sutures), along which Jurassic–
Cretaceous ophiolites and mélanges are exposed(e.g. Sengör & Yılmaz 1981; Robertson & Dixon
1984; Dercourt et al. 1986; Stampfli 2000; Okay
et al. 2001; Parlak et al. 2002; Elmas & Yılmaz
2003; Parlak & Robertson 2004; Robertson &Ustaömer 2004; Robertson et al. 2004a, b; Stampfli& Borel 2004; Bagcı et al. 2005, 2006; Dilek et al.
2005; Çelik et al. 2006; Dilek & Thy 2006; Parlak
2006, and references therein). The polarity of
subduction, the timing of ocean basin opening andclosure, and the location of Neotethyan suturezones remain somewhat controversial. The destruction of oceanic basins was also accompanied andfollowed by: (1) Cretaceous to early Palaeocene
arc magmatism (e.g. Pontide arc: Okay & Sahintürk
1997; Yılmaz et al. 1997); (2) development ofaccretionary-type forearc basins (e.g. Haymana –Polatlı Basin; Koçyiǧit 1991; Tuz Gölü Basin,Görür et al. 1998); (3) late Palaeocene to Miocene
and younger post-collisional magmatism (Aldanmaz et al. 2000; Keskin 2003; Boztuğ et al. 2004,
2006; Karslı et al. 2004; Aslan 2005; Innocentiet al. 2005; Altunkaynak & Dilek 2006); (4) the
development of several blueschist belts (e.g. Late

From: TAYMAZ , T., YILMAZ , Y. & DILEK , Y. (eds) The Geodynamics of the Aegean and Anatolia.
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 291, 1–16.
DOI: 10.1144/SP291.1 0305-8719/07/$15.00 # The Geological Society of London 2007.

2

T. TAYMAZ ET AL.

INTRODUCTION
3

Fig. 1. (a) Seismicity of the Eastern Mediterranean region and surroundings reported by USGS–NEIC during 1973– 2007 with magnitudes for M . 3 superimposed on ashaded relief map derived from the GTOPO-30 Global Topography Data taken after USGS. Bathymetry data are derived from GEBCO/97–BODC, provided by GEBCO (1997)
and Smith & Sandwell (1997a, b). (b) Summary sketch map of the faulting and bathymetry in the Eastern Mediterranean region, compiled from our observations and thoseof Le Pichon & Angelier (1981), Taymaz (1990), Taymaz et al. (1990, 1991a, b); Şaroǧlu et al. (1992), Papazachos et al. (1998), McClusky et al. (2000) and Tan & Taymaz (2006).
Large black arrows show relative motions of plates with respect to Eurasia (McClusky et al. 2003). Bathymetry data are derived from GEBCO/97–BODC, provided by GEBCO(1997) and Smith & Sandwell (1997a, b). Shaded relief map derived from the GTOPO-30 Global Topography Data taken after USGS. NAF, North Anatolian Fault; EAF, East
Anatolian Fault; DSF, Dead Sea Fault; NEAF, North East Anatolian Fault; EPF, Ezinepazarı Fault; PTF, Paphos Transform Fault; CTF, Cephalonia Transform Fault; PSF,
Pampak– Sevan Fault; AS, Apsheron Sill; GF, Garni Fault; OF, Ovacık Fault; MT, Muş Thrust Zone; TuF, Tutak Fault; TF, Tebriz Fault; KBF, Kavakbaşı Fault; MRF, Main Recent
Fault; KF, Kaǧızman Fault; IF, Iǧdır Fault; BF, Bozova Fault; EF, Elbistan Fault; SaF, Salmas Fault; SuF, Sürgü Fault; G, Gökova; BMG, Büyük Menderes Graben; Ge, Gediz
Graben; Si, Simav Graben; BuF, Burdur Fault; BGF, Beyşehir Gölü Fault; TF, Tatarlı Fault; SuF, Sultandaǧ Fault; TGF, Tuz Gölü Fault; EcF, Ecemiş Fau; ErF, Erciyes Fault; DF,
Deliler Fault; MF, Malatya Fault; KFZ, Karataş–Osmaniye Fault Zone.

4

T. TAYMAZ ET AL.

INTRODUCTION
5

Fig. 2. (a) GPS horizontal velocities and their 95% confidence ellipses in a Eurasia-fixed reference frame for the period 1988–1997 superimposed on a shaded relief map derived
from the GTOPO-30 Global Topography Data taken after USGS. Bathymetry data are derived from GEBCO/97– BODC, provided by GEBCO (1997) and Smith & Sandwell(1997a, b). Large arrows designate generalized relative motions of plates with respect to Eurasia (in mm a21) (recompiled after McClusky et al. 2000). NAF, North Anatolian Fault;
EAF, East Anatolian Fault; DSF, Dead Sea Fault; NEAF, North East Anatolian Fault; EPF, Ezinepazarı Fault; CTF, Cephalonia Transform Fault; PTF, Paphos Transform
Fault; CMT, Caucasus Main Thrust; MRF, Main Recent Fault. (b) Schematic map of the principal tectonic settings in the Eastern Mediterranean. Hatching shows areas of coherent
motion and zones of distributed deformation. Large arrows designate generalized regional motion (in mm a21) and errors (recompiled after McClusky et al. (2000, 2003). NAF,
North Anatolian Fault; EAF, East Anatolian Fault; DSF, Dead Sea Fault; NEAF, North East Anatolian Fault; EPF, Ezinepazarı Fault; CTF, Cephalonia Transform Fault; PTF,
Paphos Transform Fault.

6

T. TAYMAZ ET AL.

Cretaceous Tavşanlı Zone in Turkey: Okay et al.
1998; Sherlock 1999; Çamlıca metamorphic belt in
NW Turkey: Okay & Satır 2000, and references
therein; Eocene–Oligocene Cycladic blueschist beltin the central Aegean: Altherr et al. 1979; Avigad &Garfunkel 1989, 1991; Okrusch & Bröcker 1990;
Jolivet et al. 1994, 2003; Avigad et al. 1997;
Bröcker et al. 2004; Ring et al. 2001; Trotet et al.
2001; Bröcker & Pidgeon 2007; Lycian Nappes and
Menderes Massif: Oberhänsli et al. 2001; Okay
2001; Rimmelé et al. 2003, and references therein;
Bolkar Mountains in the Central Taurides: Dilek &Whitney 1997); (5) high- to low-grade metamorphism
affecting larger areas.
The nappe translation and burial of large areas
beneath advancing ophiolite nappes has resulted
in regional metamorphism and consequent formation of crustal-scale metamorphic massifs, suchas the Rhodope Massif, Strandja Massif, Cycladic
Massif, Menderes Massif and Central Anatolian
Crystalline Complex (Şengör et al. 1984; Whitney& Dilek 1997; Bozkurt & Oberhänsli 2001a, b;
Okay et al. 2001; Gautier et al. 2002; Whitney
et al. 2003; Şengün et al. 2006; Bozkurt 2007,
and references therein).
The closure of oceanic basins resulted in crustal
thickening and subsequent post-orogenic extension
and magmatism in the west (Aegean extensional
system) and collisional intracontinental convergencein eastern Turkey and the Caucasus that still prevailin the region. The present-day configuration of the
Aegean region is therefore the manifestation of
three major structures: (1) the Hellenic–Cyprian subduction zone; (2) the dextral North Anatolian fault
system (NAFS); (3) the sinistral East Anatolian fault
system (EAFS). Along the Hellenic–Cypriantrenches the African plate is subducting NNE
beneath the Anatolian plate at varying rates causing
lithospheric tearing and intra-plate deformation(Dilek 2006). The NAFS and EAFS are world-classexamples of intracontinental transform fault systems
that intersect at a continental triple junction in northeastern Turkey (e.g. Bozkurt 2001; Şengör et al.
2005). The continuum of deformation along the
NAFS and EAFS has resulted in the WSW extrusionof the intervening Anatolian plate onto the Eastern
Mediterranean lithosphere, accompanied by its
counter-clockwise rotation, between the converging
Eurasian and Arabian plates (Rotstein 1984).
The sinistral Dead Sea fault system (DSFS) facilitates
the northward motion of Arabia and also plays animportant role in the active tectonics of the region.
Subsequent to a series of continental collisions andthe demise of the Neotethyan seaways, the Aegean
region experienced roughly NNE–SSW-oriented
extension since the latest Oligocene to Early
Miocene times (Dilek 2006, and references therein).
This region, the Aegean extensional system (AES),

covers a large area that includes Greece, Macedonia,
Bulgaria, Albania and SW Turkey and forms one of
the most spectacular and best-studied continental
extensional regions. The cause of the onset of extension is controversial and may be (1) slab retreat
along the Aegean subduction zone and consequent
back-arc extension, (2) collapse of an overthickened
crust, (3) westward escape of Anatolia along its
plate boundaries, the NAFS and EAFS, or (4) differential rates of convergence between NE-directed
subduction of the African plate relative to thehanging-wall Anatolian plate; that is, rapid southwestward movement of Greece relative to Anatolia(e.g. McKenzie 1978; Dewey & Şengör 1979;
Le Pichon & Angelier 1981; Rotstein 1984; Şengör
et al. 1985; Şengör 1979, 1987; Dewey 1988;
Jackson & McKenzie 1988; Kissel & Laj 1988;
Taymaz et al. 1990, 1991a; Seyitoǧlu & Scott
1991, 1992; Taymaz & Price 1992; Bozkurt & Park
1994; Meulenkamp et al. 1994; Taymaz 1996; Saunders et al. 1998; Thomson et al. 1998; Koçyiǧit et al.
1999; Bozkurt 2000, 2003; McClusky et al. 2000,
2003; Yılmaz et al. 2000; Okay 2001; Doglioni
et al. 2002; Purvis & Robertson 2004; Sato et al.
2004; Seyitoǧlu et al. 2004; Seyitoǧlu et al. 2004;
Bozkurt & Sözbilir 2004, 2006; Purvis et al. 2005;
and references therein).
The AES is currently under the influence offorces exerted by northward subduction of theAfrican plate beneath the southern margin of theAnatolian plate along the Hellenic–Cyprean
trenches and dextral slip on the North Anatolian
fault system. The continental extension has
expressed itself in two distinct structural styles:(1) Rapid exhumation of deep-burial metamorphic rocks in the immediate footwall of currently low-angle brittle –ductile normal faults(detachment fault and metamorphic core complexes). The footwall deformation preserves evidence for a progressive transition from ductile tobrittle where mylonites are overprinted by breccias
and, in turn, by cataclasites. Exhumation was
accompanied by synchronous deposition of continental red clastic sediments in the basin(s) locatedin the detachment hanging walls.
(2) Late stretching of crust and a consequent
graben formation along Plio-Quaternary high-angle
normal faults (the modern phase of extension or riftmode). Several core complexes (e.g. Rhodope,
Cycladic, Kazdaǧ, Menderes, Niǧde core complexes: Lister et al. 1984; Dinter & Royden 1993;
Gautier et al. 1993, 1999; Bozkurt & Park 1994;
Gautier & Brunn 1994; Dinter et al. 1995; Vandenberg & Lister 1996; Whitney & Dilek 1997; Hetzel
et al. 1998; Jolivet & Patriat 1999; Jolivet & Faccenna 2000; Lips et al. 2001; Bonev & Stampfli
2003; Ring et al. 2003; Gessner et al. 2004;

INTRODUCTION

Beccaletto & Steiner 2005; Bonev 2006; Bonev
et al. 2006a, b; Bozkurt et al. 2006; Bozkurt
2007; Régnier et al. 2007, and references therein)
and overprinting approximately east –west-trending
grabens (e.g. Gulf of Corinth, Büyük Menderes andGediz grabens) therefore form the most prominentelements of the AES.
The Aegean region is therefore considered as aperfect natural laboratory to study mechanisms ofcore-complex formation, synchronous basin evolution and subsequent graben formation during its
post-collisional extensional tectonic evolution.
The papers in this book shed some light onvarious aspects of this extensional tectonics of the
Aegean region, but there are still many contentious
issues concerning the origin, timing and evolutionof Neogene crustal extension in this broad zoneof convergence between Africa and Eurasia (seeTaymaz & Price 1992; Taymaz 1993; Taymaz
et al. 2004; Bozkurt & Mittwede 2005; Dilek &Pavlides 2006, and references therein for details).
The Aegean region is also characterized bywidespread post-collisional magmatism expressedby extensive volcanic sequences, hypabyssal intrusions and granitoid bodies (Fytikas et al. 1976,
1984; Altherr et al. 1982; Bingöl et al. 1982; Innocenti et al. 1984, 2005; Güleç 1991; Seyitoǧlu et al.
1992, 1997; Hetzel et al. 1995a, b; RichardsonBunbury 1996; Ercan et al. 1997; Yılmaz et al.
2001; Işık et al. 2003; Erkül et al. 2005; Ring &Collins 2005; Tonarini et al. 2005; Yücel-Öztürk
et al. 2005; Aldanmaz 2006; Altunkaynak &Dilek 2006; Bozkurt et al. 2006; Pe-Piper &Piper 2006; Dilek & Altunkaynak 2007, and references therein). The extant data suggest that
there may have been close temporal and spatial
relationships between magmatism and subductionroll-back processes and/or Neogene continental
extension in the Aegean region, where the age of volcanic activity becomes younger southwards. There
are good examples of synextensional granites
emplaced into the footwall rocks of detachment
faults (i.e. Simav and Alasehir detachment
faults), providing crucial evidence for the age of
core-complex formation. Therefore, geochronology
and thermochronological studies have recently concentrated on these granitoid bodies in the region (e.g.
Ring & Collins 2005; Thompson & Ring 2006).
This introduction is aimed at presenting a
synoptic overview of the regional geology and geophysics based on the existing literature, as well as
outlining the results of recent literature on existing
controversies about the tectonic and geodynamic
evolution of the Aegean region. The geology ofthis region has been reviewed in a series of recent
special publications, providing in-depth coverageof the extant data and models, and readers are

7referred to these publications for additional information (Robinson 1997; Gourgaud 1998; Bozkurt& Rowbotham 1999a, b; Durand et al. 1999;
Bozkurt et al. 2000; Bozkurt & Mittwede 2001,
2005; Aksu et al. 2002, 2005; Akıncı et al. 2003;
Taymaz et al. 2004; Şengör et al. 2005; Bozkurt
2006; Dilek & Pavlides 2006; Robertson &Mountrakis 2006).

Research themes
This Special Publication includes a wide rangeof contributions, illustrating both the diversity of
study regions being actively researched and oftechniques now available to investigate crustal
deformation. It also complements the recent
compilations on this region as listed above. Coverage ranges from the Levantine region in the east to
SW Bulgaria in the west, with emphasis on the
Aegean extensional province and the adjacentwestern part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone aswell as the Hellenic and Cyprean subduction
zones. We have grouped papers into the following
key themes.

The Aegean Sea and the Cyclades
Katzir et al. review the tectonic position and field
relations of major ultramafic occurrences in the
Cyclades and document in detail the petrography
and chemical compositions of ultramafic andassociated rocks on the islands of Evvia, Naxos,
Tinos and Skyros. They then discuss the origin
and mode of emplacement of these rocks and theorogenic evolution of the Cyclades. Widespread
serpentinization of most of the ultramafic rocks
suggests denudation prior to reburial causing
Alpine metamorphism. Relict mantle assemblages
and mantle-like oxygen isotope ratios from Naxos
meta-peridotites are attributed to the emplacementof these mantle rocks onto a continental margin via
collision and subsequent high-pressure (HP) metamorphism (M1) at 550–650 8C and 14 kbar. The
meta-basites of the Skyros and Evvian mélanges
record M1 temperatures of 450–500 8C and400–430 8C, respectively. Thus, from Evvia southeastwards progressively deeper (i.e hotter) levelsof the subducted plate are exposed. Interestingly,
temperatures of the M2 overprint also increase
from Evvia through Skyros to Naxos. The diverse
P –T paths of the Cycladic blueschists are predictedby thermal modelling of tectonically thickened crust
unroofed either by erosion or by uniform extension.
Mehl et al. present detailed structural data fromthe islands of Tinos and Andros documenting theexhumation of HP metamorphic rocks in the
Cyclades. The data are consistent with localization

8

T. TAYMAZ ET AL.

of deformation and its progressive evolution
whereby early ductile fabrics are superimposed by
low-angle semi-brittle shear planes and, in turn,by steeply dipping late brittle structures. The
authors also confirm the role of boudinage formation in localizing ductile –brittle transition andemphasize the continuum of strain from ductile tobrittle domains during exhumation. One of themain conclusions of the paper is that the strain
localization process depends on both rheologicalstratification and compositional heterogeneity.
Pe-Piper & Piper document the occurrence ofMiocene igneous rocks on the island of Samos aspart of a Late Miocene– Quaternary back-arc
setting in the Aegean Sea. Three groups of Late
Miocene igneous rocks are differentiated: (1) an
intrusive complex of monzodiorite and minor granites; (2) potassic trachytes and minor rhyolite; (3)bimodal rhyolites and basalts. New K –Ar ages
combined with existing geochronology and biostratigraphy suggest an ages of 10 –11 Ma for the firsttwo groups and 8 Ma for the bimodal volcanic
rocks. Radiogenic isotope and trace element compositions suggest partial melting of an enrichedgarnet lherzolite mantle source for the origin of
monzodiorite and basalt. The authors show that trachyte and monzodiorite rocks may have evolved byfractional crystallization of a parental magma
similar to that of the younger basalt. Emplacement
and eruption of the monzodiorite, minor granites,
potassic trachytes and rhyolite are attributed toregional extension and listric faulting, whereas the
younger basalt extrusion was probably associatedwith north –south strike-slip faulting that provided
pathways for different types of mantle melts.
Piper et al. interpret marine seismic reflection
profiles from around Santorini to show the distribution of active faults and the occurrence ofsubmarine volcanic rocks interfingering with stratified basinal sediments in the south Aegean arc.
Two distinct phases of recent volcanism appear tohave taken place in the area: the 1.6 ka and0.6520.55 Ma Akrotiri episodes. Accordingly, theages of subsurface submarine volcanic horizons ofSantorini (lower and upper volcanic units) are
estimated as latest Pliocene and the younger Akrotiri episode. Because Santorini is located at theintersection of several fault sets of different orientations (east– west, ENE –WSW and NE– SW)
and different ages, Late Neogene basin subsidence
and volcanism are interpreted to have resulted
from changing fault patterns associated withthe collision of the African and Aegean –Anatolian plates.
Bonev & Beccaletto document structural evidence on the latest Oligocene to Present extensional
tectonics within a back-arc setting in thenorth Aegean above the Hellenic subduction zone.

The data come from two distinct locations: eastern
Rhodope–Thrace of Bulgaria–Greece and theBiga Peninsula of NW Turkey. The structural datafrom the metamorphic rocks are consistent with
top-to-the-NNW–SSE- to NE –SW-directed extension in dome-shaped core complexes in the footwalls of low-angle detachment faults. The resultsof this study combined with the available literaturefrom other parts of the Aegean region suggest thatthe extensional history in the region comprises
syn- and post-orogenic episodes during the Paleocene– Eocene and the latest Oligocene– Early
Miocene, respectively. The former event was attributed to gravitationally induced hinterland-directedexhumation of the orogenic stack during theclosure of the Vardar Ocean, whereas the latter
was the consequence of widespread back-arc extension. The recognition of southward migration ofextension and magmatism from the Rhodope
complex in the north to the present position of theHellenic trench in the south supports subductionroll-back processes that have prevailed in theregion since Late Cretaceous time.
Georgiev et al. report the results of recent global
positioning system (GPS) campaigns aimed atmonitoring and studying the active deformation in
SW Bulgaria. The analyses of GPS data for the
1996–2004 period provide firm evidence for active
faulting in the region. The region is divided, basedon geology and geodetic data from 38 GPS sites,
into five blocks of homogeneous kinematic behaviour with average motions varying between 1.3
and 3.4 mm a21. The rate of motion for the whole
region is c. 1.8 + 0.7 mm a21 in a N1548 direction(to the SSE) with respect to the stable Eurasia; thisresult correlates well with the geological data on
neotectonic motions in SW Bulgaria.

The Hellenic and the Cyprus arcs region
Karagianni & Papazachos present a database ofregional earthquakes recorded by a portable broadband three-component digital station and a shear
velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle
beneath the Aegean area using simultaneous inversion of Rayleigh and Love waves. The results are
consistent with strong lateral variations of the
S-wave velocities for the crust and uppermost
mantle in the Aegean. The authors confirm the presence of thin crust (,28–30 km) for the whole
Aegean Sea region and even thinner (20–22 km)
crust in the southern and central Aegean Sea. On
the other hand, the crust on land is much thicker,
around 40 –45 km in western Greece and a mean of
35 km in the rest of the country. A significant
sub-Moho upper mantle low-velocity zone (LVL
mantle) identified in the southern and central
Aegean Sea correlates well with the high heat flow

INTRODUCTION

in the mantle wedge above the subducted slab andwith the related active volcanism in the region.
Meier et al. investigate the structure anddynamics of the plate boundary in the area ofCrete by receiver function, surface wave and microseismicity using temporary seismic networks, andsummarize the results with special emphasis on
their implications for geodynamic models. The
authors then propose that the island of Crete represents a horst structure in the central forearcof the retreating Hellenic subduction zone. The
reported properties of the lithosphere and the plateinterface beneath Crete are attributed to extrusionof material from a subduction channel, driving
differential uplift of the island by several kilometres
since about 4 Ma.
Yolsal et al. inspect historical tsunamis known
to have occurred in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
region identified from verified catalogues in threegroups and correlate them with the seismogenic
zones such as the Hellenic and the Cyprus arcs,
the left-lateral strike-slip Dead Sea Fault and theLevantine rift. The authors conduct numericalsimulations involving the initiation and propagationof tsunami waves as series of large sea-waves ofextremely long wavelength and period generated
by an impulsive undersea disturbances or activity
near the coasts (i.e. earthquake-induced tsunamis).
The authors then compute water surface elevation
distributions and theoretical arrival times (i.e.
calculated travel times) for the Paphos, Cyprus
earthquake of 11 May 1222 and for the Crete earthquake of 8 August 1303, which are known to be thelargest and well-documented tsunamigenic eventsin the region. The authors confirm that the coastal
topography, sea bottom irregularities and nearshore bathymetry are crucial components intsunami wave simulations, and they further
suggest that improvement of the resolution ofbathymetric maps, particularly for the details of
the continental shelf and seamounts, would facilitate a better understanding of tsunami generationand tsunami-prone mechanisms.

Structural complexities associated withstrike-slip faulting in Anatolia
Ergin et al. report on the influences of the Late
Quaternary tectonics and sea-level changes on sedimentation in the Sea of Marmara, as observed in the
Sarköy Canyon in the western part of this sea. They
present the results of detailed sedimentologicalwork on several sediment cores collected fromthis submarine canyon. The work is also supportedby the interpretation of seismic section profiles
and 14C dating of base sections in the sedimentcores. The dated sediments (12 ka BP) marked the9shift of depositional environment from lacustrine
to the present marine conditions. The change ofgrain size from sand- to gravel-sized particles atthe base to siliciclastic mud upwards in the succession is interpreted to mark changes in the Pleistocene –Holocene conditions. The widespreadoccurrences of faults, synsedimentary structuresand submarine slides or slumps interpreted onseismic profiles form the most important recordsof active tectonics in the canyon and prove once
more the major role of faulting and associated deformation on sedimentation in the Sea of Marmara.
Taymaz et al. investigate the seismotectonics of
the North Anatolian Fault (NAF) in the vicinity of
the Orta –Çankırı region (central Turkey) by analysing a moderate-sized (Mw ¼ 6.0) earthquake that
occurred on 6 June 2000. The authors correlate
source rupture characteristics of this event withthose obtained from the field mapping (neotectonic)
and geodetic (InSAR) studies. The authors thendiscuss the faulting in this anomalous earthquake
in relation to the local geometry of the main strikeslip system (NAF), and speculate that this event
may not be a reliable guide to the regional strain
field in NW central Turkey. The authors tentatively
suggest that one possible explanation for the occurrence of the 6 June 2000 Orta– Çankırı earthquake
could be localized clockwise rotations as a resultof shearing of the lower crust and lithosphere.
Gürsoy et al. stress the importance of travertine
occurrences in the study of active faulting, as these
deposits are commonly linked to earthquake
activity during which geothermal reservoirs arereset and activated by earthquake fracturing. They
study the palaeomagnetic record of three travertine
fissures in the Sıcak Çermik geothermal field nearSivas in central Anatolia to understand theambient field at the time of deposition and to identify cycles of secular variation of the geomagnetic
field, with the aim of estimating the rate oftravertine growth. The travertines are dated by the
U –Th method and vary in age between 100 and
360 ka. The authors analyse sequential samples collected from the margins (earliest deposition) to thecentres (last deposition) of fissure travertines andconclude, based on the assumption that thesecycles record time periods of 1–2 ka, that travertine
layers identify resetting of the geothermal system by
earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.5 –5.5 at every
50 –100 years. Travertine precipitation appears tohave occurred at rates of 0.1–0.3 mm a21. The
data are also consistent with the occurrence ofmajor earthquakes (M c. 7.5) at approximately
every 10 ka.
The majority of the papers in this thematic bookwere presented at the International Symposium on
the Geodynamics of Eastern Mediterranean:
Active Tectonics of the Aegean, held at the Kadir

10

T. TAYMAZ ET AL.

Has University, İstanbul, Turkey, during 15 –18
June 2005. This meeting was organized inmemory of Professor Kâzım Ergin (1915– 2002),
a source of pride for the İstanbul Technical University. Kâzım Ergin (Mehmet Kâzım Ergin), known tohis colleagues and students as Kâzım Hoca, was a
Turkish geophysicist whose theoretical and experimental research contributed to many aspects ofsolid earth geophysics (Taymaz 2002, 2004). He
was also an important figure in advancing theteaching of geosciences in Turkey in the decades
after World War II, both as an instructor and as
an administrator. Ergin served in high-level administrative capacities in various institutions. Afterthe establishment by the government in 1963 of
the Scientific and Technical Research Council ofTurkey (TÜBİTAK), he was one of the early
appointees to its engineering research group. He
was eventually elected chairman of the Scientific
Board of TÜBİTAK, a capacity in which heserved until he retired in 1979. Ergin also served
as a director of the Istanbul Technical University;
as a member of the NATO Science Committee
Executive Council and of its Scientific Board; as amember of the Executive Council of the European
Science Foundation (where he was Turkey’s first
representative); and as an Executive Council
rapporteur for the UNESCO Working Group on
Seismicity and Seismotectonics. He died on 24
November 2002 on Teachers’ Day, an annual
holiday in Turkey. He shall always be remembered
as one of the pioneering figures in the developmentof Earth Sciences in Turkey, for his individual contributions as a university teacher and administrator,and for his influence on his colleagues and students.
The symposium was sponsored by Kadir Has University,
the Scientific and Technological Research Council ofTurkey (TÜBİTAK), the Turkish Academy of Sciences(TT/TÜBA-GEBİP/2001-2-17), the British Council, theGeological Society of London, the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation, the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), and Gemini-Club Tourism. The editors
would like to thank the members of the Organizing Committee and the staff and students at Kadir Has University
who ensured the smooth running of the June 2005 symposium. Thanks are due to J. Turner (Series Editor) for
his continuous encouragement, help and comments
during the preparation of this volume, to the GeologicalSociety Publishing House for editorial work, and to
Angharad Hills for her continuous help at every stage of
production of this volume. We are grateful to
E. Bozkurt, C. Yaltırak and S. Yolsal for their help witheditorial work and with the preparation of individual chapters in the book. Critical scholarly evaluation of scientificpapers published in this Special Publication was no small
task. We are most grateful to the referees for their dedicated and objective work, constructive criticism and suggestions, which collectively improved the quality of thisbook and helped us maintain high scientific standards.

We finally thank the contributors to this book for theirtime and effort, and active participation in producing
this exciting volume on the geodynamics of the Aegeanand Anatolia.

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