Formation and Evolution of the Anatolian Lithosphere based on Geophysical Data

The objective of this integrated seismological-geophysical-tectonic project is to provide new understanding of how the Anatolian lithosphere formed by amalgamation of a series of terranes to Eurasia within the largest recent orogenic belt in the world between southeast Asia and Europe. Anatolia is ideal for studying the original structures of the orogen because it is relatively undisturbed and because it has already been covered by an extensive amount of geophysical data. The project will identify the individual terranes from which Anatolia was built and provide a comprehensive geophysical model of the crust and lithospheric mantle. The results will have implications for understanding occurrences of natural resources, including hydrocarbons in sedimentary basins and mineral resources, mainly around the suture zones between individual terranes. It has further implications for understanding the neo-tectonic evolution, including the reasons for strong earthquakes in Anatolia.

TÜBİTAK grant of 1 MTRY, 2 postdoc positions and 2 PhD study positions in the programme.