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 Gordes, 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 30004000 in (gravity-MT); within the graben two apparent basins 3-4 and 1.5-2.5 kin 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.