Scientific Reports (May 2018)
Gas and seismicity within the Istanbul seismic gap
- L. Géli,
- P. Henry,
- C. Grall,
- J.-B. Tary,
- A. Lomax,
- E. Batsi,
- V. Riboulot,
- E. Cros,
- C. Gürbüz,
- S. E. Işık,
- A. M. C. Sengör,
- X. Le Pichon,
- L. Ruffine,
- S. Dupré,
- Y. Thomas,
- D. Kalafat,
- G. Bayrakci,
- Q. Coutellier,
- T. Regnier,
- G. Westbrook,
- H. Saritas,
- G. Çifçi,
- M. N. Çağatay,
- M. S. Özeren,
- N. Görür,
- M. Tryon,
- M. Bohnhoff,
- L. Gasperini,
- F. Klingelhoefer,
- C. Scalabrin,
- J.-M. Augustin,
- D. Embriaco,
- G. Marinaro,
- F. Frugoni,
- S. Monna,
- G. Etiope,
- P. Favali,
- A. Bécel
Affiliations
- L. Géli
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- P. Henry
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS, IRD, INRA, Coll. France
- C. Grall
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS, IRD, INRA, Coll. France
- J.-B. Tary
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- A. Lomax
- ALomax Scientific
- E. Batsi
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- V. Riboulot
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- E. Cros
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- C. Gürbüz
- Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, Boğaziçi University
- S. E. Işık
- Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, Boğaziçi University
- A. M. C. Sengör
- Istanbul Technical University
- X. Le Pichon
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS, IRD, INRA, Coll. France
- L. Ruffine
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- S. Dupré
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- Y. Thomas
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- D. Kalafat
- Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, Boğaziçi University
- G. Bayrakci
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- Q. Coutellier
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- T. Regnier
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- G. Westbrook
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- H. Saritas
- Mineral Research & Exploration General Directorate, MTA
- G. Çifçi
- Institute for Marine Science and Technology, Dokuz Eyiul Universitesi
- M. N. Çağatay
- Istanbul Technical University
- M. S. Özeren
- Istanbul Technical University
- N. Görür
- Istanbul Technical University
- M. Tryon
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre
- M. Bohnhoff
- Helmholtz-Centre Potsdam German Centre for Geosciences GFZ, Section 4.2 Geomechanics and Rheology
- L. Gasperini
- Institute of Marine Science, ISMAR-CNR
- F. Klingelhoefer
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- C. Scalabrin
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- J.-M. Augustin
- Ifremer, Département Ressources Physiques et Ecosystèmes de fond de Mer (REM)
- D. Embriaco
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, INGV
- G. Marinaro
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, INGV
- F. Frugoni
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, INGV
- S. Monna
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, INGV
- G. Etiope
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, INGV
- P. Favali
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, INGV
- A. Bécel
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23536-7
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 8,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 11
Abstract
Abstract Understanding micro-seismicity is a critical question for earthquake hazard assessment. Since the devastating earthquakes of Izmit and Duzce in 1999, the seismicity along the submerged section of North Anatolian Fault within the Sea of Marmara (comprising the “Istanbul seismic gap”) has been extensively studied in order to infer its mechanical behaviour (creeping vs locked). So far, the seismicity has been interpreted only in terms of being tectonic-driven, although the Main Marmara Fault (MMF) is known to strike across multiple hydrocarbon gas sources. Here, we show that a large number of the aftershocks that followed the M 5.1 earthquake of July, 25th 2011 in the western Sea of Marmara, occurred within a zone of gas overpressuring in the 1.5–5 km depth range, from where pressurized gas is expected to migrate along the MMF, up to the surface sediment layers. Hence, gas-related processes should also be considered for a complete interpretation of the micro-seismicity (~M < 3) within the Istanbul offshore domain.
