Conductivity Structure along the Gediz Graben, West Anatolia, Turkey: Tectonic Implications

Abstract

Groups of grabens in west Anatolia have contrasting E-W and NE-SW orientations and are the subject of debate as to their relative ages and relationships. We investigated the E-W-trending Gediz graben and its neighboring NE-SW-trending Gördes, Demirci, and Selendi grabens, which form an important graben system representative of the region. We studied gravity data from one profile and magnetotelluric (MT) data from two profiles, 73 km and 93 km long. The data supports the hypothesis that the Gediz graben was superimposed onto the (older) NE-SW grabens. 2D gravity and MT modelling revealed an undulating graben floor, varying in depth between 500 and 3000-4000 m (gravity-MT); within the graben two apparent basins 3–4 and 1.5-2.5 km deep (gravity-MT) are separated by a subsurface horst. The residual gravity map appears to indicate the continuation of NE-SW grabens from north of Gediz graben to beyond its southern border. The MT model revealed three main zones of varying thickness within the crust. The britde upper crust comprises two zones: sedimentary fill (apparent resistivity 15-50 ohm.m) and Menderes massif basement (200 ohm.m). The third zone is highly conductive lower crust (10 ohm.m), identified by our MT modeling at an average depth of 10 km. This conductive layer was considered in conjunction with two other regional features, high heat flow values and shallow earthquake focal depths. A heat flow map shows a very high average value of 108 mWm−2 for west Anatolia and 120-300 mWm−2 for the Gediz graben area specifically, compared with the world average of 80 mWm−2. Seismological records showing shallow earthquake focal depths together with the high conductivity zone were taken to indicate a partially melted, viscoelastic lower crust.