## 4 Discussion  
Figures 3a-c, 4 and 5a-c clearly demonstrate the significant interest in the examined area owing to its distinctive topography and geomorphology. Specifically, the presence of \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & **Slope** & **Potentially Liq.** & **Seismic Fault** & **Road** & **Natura 2000** & **Urban Areas** \\  & **Inclination** & **Areas** & **Zones** & **Network** & **Areas** & **Urban Areas** \\ \hline Slope Inclination & 1 & 2 & 2 & 3 & 3 & 3 \\ Potentially Liq. & 1/2 & 1 & 2 & 4 & 4 & 3 \\ Areas & 1/2 & 1/2 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 3 \\ Seismic Fault Zones & 1/2 & 1 & 2 & 1 & 1/3 & 1/4 \\ Road Network & 1/3 & 1/4 & 1/3 & 3 & 1 & 1/2 \\ Natura 2000 Areas & 1/3 & 1/3 & 1/3 & 4 & 2 & 1 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Qualitative prioritization of the adopted criteria for scenario 5 with a consistency ratio equal to 0.08. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Criteria**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Weight Factors (\%)**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Sub-Criteria**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Rating Score (\%)**} \\ \cline{3-4}  & & & **Sub-Scenarios** & \\ \cline{3-4}  & & & **1** & **2** & **3** \\ \hline  & & 0\({}^{\circ}\)–10\({}^{\circ}\) & 3.3 \\ Slope Inclination (\({}^{\circ}\)) & 30.0 & 20\({}^{\circ}\)–30\({}^{\circ}\) & 11.8 \\  & & 30\({}^{\circ}\)–40\({}^{\circ}\) & 28.9 \\  & & 40\({}^{\circ}\)–50\({}^{\circ}\) & 38.1 \\ Potentially Liquefiable Areas & 25.6 & - & - \\ Seismic Fault Zones & 17.8 & - & - \\ Road Network & 5.9 & - & - \\ Natura 2000 Areas & 8.7 & - & - \\ Urban Areas & 12.0 & - & - \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Weight influence of each of the adopted criteria and sub-criteria for scenario 5. Figure 9: Proposed route derived after the implementation of scenario 5 and comparison with the existing route of TAP. Vistonida Lake in the central part of the examined area (Figure 3a,b) indicates significant seismotectonic activity, possibly resulting from lateral and vertical movements of the Earth's crust, which has also been documented in previous studies [69]. The seismotectonic activity is further elucidated by examining the map in Figure 5b, which highlights the dense concentration of seismic fault zones. The approximate location of seismic fault zones has been based on the findings of [PERSON] et al. [70]. Herein, particular focus has been given to the Kavala-Xanthi-Komotini seismic fault zone, which runs adjacent to Vistonida Lake and extends for tens of kilometers in a west-east direction within the examined area [71]. In such areas, characterized by the presence of earthquake-related geohazards, a vast amount of geodata is needed to ensure reliable and accurate mapping, typically obtained via geophysical surveys and geological maps. In parallel, the examined area is characterized by a notable variation in elevation, with mountains of considerable height located just a few kilometers from sea level (Figure 3c). This fact is corroborated by the slope inclination map shown in Figure 5c, which reveals that the slope inclination ranges from 0\({}^{\circ}\) to 50\({}^{\circ}\), with steep slopes to the north of the seismic fault zone and almost flat terrain to the south. As shown in Figure 5a, the area is intersected by numerous wet valleys. It is worth noting that most rivers and streams in the examined area flow perpendicular (i.e., north-south direction) to the main seismic fault zone. Taking this into consideration, in conjunction with the considerable length of the Kavala-Xanthi-Komotini seismic fault zone and the potential stress redistributions and/or heterogeneities in rock properties, it is probable that this seismic fault may rupture in smaller parts, leading to the development of secondary seismic fault zones in an almost perpendicular direction. Therefore, two rivers located on either side of Vistonida Lake with a roughly perpendicular orientation to the main seismic fault zone have been crudely defined as secondary faults, designated as the 1 st and 2 nd secondary faults, respectively (Figure 6a).