Tectonism of Ankara

Ankara region is generally known as a safe place in terms of seismicity. However, the reality is the opposite of this misconception. Recent active tectonic studies conducted in the Ankara region have revealed that this area is under the influence of compressional stresses active in the NW and N-S directions. This compressional stress is the main cause of the northwest Central Anatolian strike-slip tectonic regime and related faulting. There are three fault systems, numerous fault zones, and many active individual faults in this region. This highly active fault system has the capacity to produce destructive earthquakes with a recurrence interval of 250-300 years and a magnitude of Mw = 8.0. The distance of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) from the center of Ankara province is approximately 115 km on the map. The largest earthquake that will occur due to these faults, located within the plate and causing its deformation, is expected to have a magnitude of Mw = 7.0, with a much longer recurrence interval.