New insight into the 24 January 2020, Mw 6.8 Elazığ earthquake (Turkey): An evidence for rupture-parallel pull-apart basin activation along the East Anatolian Fault Zone constrained by Geodetic and Seismological data

In this study, we investigated the main features of the causative fault of the 24 January 2020, Mw 6.8 Elazığ earthquake (Turkey) using seismological and geodetic data sets to provide new insight into the East Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ). We first constrained the co-seismic surface deformation and the rupture geometry of the causative fault segment using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) interferograms (Sentinel-1A/B satellites) and teleseismic waveform inversion, respectively. Also, we determined the centroid moment tensor (CMT) solutions of focal mechanisms of the 27 aftershocks using the regional waveform inversion method. Finally, we evaluated the co-seismic slip distribution and the CMT solutions of the causative fault as well as of adjacent segments using the 27 focal solutions of the aftershocks, superimposed on the surface deformation pattern. The CMT solution of the 24 January 2020Elazığ earthquake reveals a pure strike-slip focal mechanism, consistent with the structural pattern and left-lateral motion of the EAFZ. The rupture process of the Elazığ event indicated that the rupture is started at 12 km around the hypocenter, and then propagated bilaterally along the NE-SW but mainly toward the southwest. The rupture slip has initially propagated toward the southwest (first 10 s) and northeast (4 s), and again toward the southwest (9 s). Maximum displacement is calculated as 1.3 m about 20 km southwest of the hypocenter at 6 km depth (centroid depth). The rupture stopped to down-dip around 20 km depth toward the southwest. The distribution of the slip vectors indicates that the rupture continued mostly through a normal oblique movement. Most of the moment release was released SW of the hypocenter and the rupture reached up to around 50 km. The focal mechanisms of analyzed 27 aftershocks show strike-slip, but mostly normal and normal oblique-slip faulting with an orientation of the tensional axes (NNE-SSW), indicating a normal oblique-slip, “transtensional” stress regime, parallel-subparallel to the strike of the EAFZ, consistent with SW-rupture directivity and co- seismic deformation pattern. Finally, based on the co-seismic surface deformation compatible with the distributional pattern of normal focal solutions, normal and normal oblique-slip focals of the aftershocks evidence the rupture-parallel pull-apart basin activation as a segment boundary of the left-lateral strike-slip movement of the EAFZ.

Preliminary results on the slip history of the Pazarcik Segment of the East Anatolian Fault (Turkey): Insights from the integrated analyses of ASTER T-1 and Landsat 8 OLI multi-spectral imagery-based lithological mapping

<p>Multi-spectral satellite imagery becomes a powerful tool in analyses of the earth’s surface in various aspects, including tectonic studies. There are many worldwide samples of such studies, documenting the distribution of faulting or deformation of lithological units especially in arid, semi-arid regions. The East Anatolian Shear Zone and its most prominent member, the East Anatolian Fault (EAF), is part of such a region, where the modern techniques of remote sensing can provide information on the history of this transform fault system. The EASZ and the EAF, together form the eastern boundary of the Anatolian Block, which in this study, we compare the efficiency of Advanced Space Borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images in the discrimination of lithological formations and the Pazarcik Segment of the EAF. First, we used the band combinations of 2/5/1 and 7/3/1, then 4/3-6/2-7/4 and 1/3-1/9-3/9 band ratios were independently selected in order to make an additional evaluation of the lithological discrimination for Landsat 8 OLI and ASTER T1 images, respectively. In the last stage, we used Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which provided a richer colour spectrum than the Band Combination and Band Ratio methods. The preliminary joint-analysis of these three methods allowed us to better understand the basin geometry along this part of the Pazarcik Segment. Accordingly the northern part of the Golbasi basin which hosts the Golbasi Lake, presents a rhomboidal geometry whereas the southern part is divided from the north with a wedge-shaped basin geometry. Towards southwest of the Pazarcik Segment, the Kisik River is left-laterally offset about ~4.8 km which is detectable on the band ratio images. Most critically, the image analysis highlight a geological offset along the Pazarcik Fault Segment at the Golbasi Lake side of the Hoya Formation. A left-lateral cumulative offset of ~11 km is measured along the displaced Hoya formation favouring the hypotheses of either a diachronic origin for the northern and eastern tectonic boundaries of Anatolia, among which the northern one highly exceeds the eastern boundary in terms of total slip, hence the age, or a wider shear zone where the total strain has been shared among parallel/sub-parallel segments.</p>

Distribution of Interseismic Coupling Along the North and East Anatolian Faults Inferred From InSAR and GPS Data

<p>The North Anatolian Fault (NAF) has produced numerous major earthquakes. After decades of quiescence, the M<span>w </span>6.8 Elazı˘g earthquake (24 January 2020) has recently reminded us that the East Anatolian Fault (EAF) is also capable of producing significant earthquakes. To better estimate the seismic hazard associated with these two faults, we jointly invert interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and GPS data to image the spatial distribution of interseismic coupling along the eastern part of both the NAF and EAF.We perform the inversion in a Bayesian framework, enabling to estimate uncertainties on both long-term relative plate motion and coupling. We find that coupling is high and deep (0–20 km) on the NAF and heterogeneous and superficial (0–5 km) on the EAF. Our model predicts that the Elazı˘g earthquake released between 200 and 250 years of accumulated moment, suggesting a bicentennial recurrence time.</p>