Present--Day Kinematics And Dynamics Of The Eastern Mediterranean/Caucasus: Interaction Of The Arabian, African, And Eurasian Plates

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Reilinger 9909730 This project is a continuation of MIT's collaboration with international partners to define plate motions and intra-plate deformations in the eastern Mediterranean region using the Global Positioning System (GPS). This work will follow three principal directions, including, 1) continuing to use GPS to monitor deformation in the zone of interaction of the Arabian, African, and Eurasian plates with a focus on specific tectonic features such as triple junctions, active faults, and the eastern Turkey/Caucasus collision zone, 2) incorporating other geological and geophysical information to determine the relationship between present-day deformation and deformation on geologic time scales, and to characterize the principal forces driving deformation and the physical nature of the lithosphere responding to these forces, and 3) developing detailed numerical models to test alternative hypotheses. It is anticipated that this research will add substantially to our understanding of the basic principles that govern continental deformation in zones of active plate interactions, and will provide an improved physical basis for estimating and mitigating future earthquake hazards.