Earthquake history of the Yatağan Fault (Muğla, SW Turkey): implications for regional seismic hazard assessment and paleoseismology in extensional provinces

Abstract

The southern part of the Western Anatolia Extensional Province is governed by E-W-trending horst-graben systems and NW-SE-oriented active faults. The NW-striking Yatağan Fault is characterised by an almost pure normal sense of motion with a minor dextral strike slip component. Although the settlements within the area have been affected by several earthquake events since ancient times (~2000 BCE), the earthquake potential and history of the Yatağan Fault has remained unknown until a few years ago. Considering the growing dense population within the area, paleoseismology studies were conducted in order to illuminate the historical earthquake activity on the Yatağan Fault. Two trenches were excavated on the fault. Structural and stratigraphic evidence from the both trenches indicated an event horizon of a paleo-earthquake that was dated between 366 and 160 BCE and 342 ± 131 CE. This event horizon most probably reflected the evidence of the latest large earthquake rupture on the Yatağan Fault.