Conductive crust imaged in western Turkey by MT

M. Bayrak, SS Nalbant

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Wide-band magnetotelluric (MT) data across the Izmir-Ankara Suture Zone ((I) over dot ASZ), the Bornova Flysch Zone and the Menderes Massif of western Turkey images shallow and deep crustal structures. Inversions of the MT data reveals two subzones of the crust with varying thickness; the viscoelastic lower crust appears as a conductive zone (< 75 ohm m), while the brittle upper crust is shown as a relatively high resistivity zone in the geoelectrical model. We also observe a very interesting twin-core structure with a very high resistivity (> 2000 ohm m) at a depth from 5 km to 25 km under the (I) over dot ASZ. A hypocentral cross-section of earthquakes along the profile shows more dense seismic activity in and around the twin-core structure. Due to this correspondence, we interpret that decoupling of the twin-core structure could be responsible for the denser seismic activity around the (I) over dot ASZ. The depth of the lithosphere/asthenosphere boundary is rather shallow in the geoelectrical model, about 45 km at the SE and NW end of the profile, and 55 km in the middle.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3521-3524
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume28
Issue number18
Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - 2001

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Conductive crust imaged in western Turkey by MT'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this