Tectonic and Volcanic Processes in Western Anatolia

Western Anatolia lies within a highly dynamic extensional regime driven by the westward escape of the Anatolian microplate and the southward retreat of the African slab. Crustal stretching since the Late Cenozoic has produced a series of N–S to NE–SW trending grabens, elevated geothermal gradients and core–complex exhumation in the Menderes Massif. Normal‐fault systems along graben margins accommodate ongoing extension, while detachment surfaces preserve deep crustal metamorphic histories. Concurrently, potassic to ultrapotassic volcanism has erupted through transtensional structures, generating both effusive and explosive deposits. Heat‐flow anomalies exceeding 100 mW m−2 in coastal grabens reflect conductive and advective processes linked to magmatic intrusions and high‐temperature hydrothermal circulation. This tectono‐magmatic interplay underpins substantial geothermal energy potential, influences sedimentary–basin evolution and shapes seismic hazard across densely populated and rural areas. Understanding these processes offers broader insights into back‐arc extension, continental rifting and the evolution of active orogenic belts worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have elucidated slab rollback of the African plate driving N–S extensional stresses across the Aegean–Anatolian domain, promoting crustal fragmentation and seismicity. Modelled retreat of the subducting slab has been linked to frequent moderate‐to‐large earthquakes along upper‐plate fault networks and associated volcanic centres. Historical records correlate major seismic events with catastrophic eruptions, demonstrating how deep slab dynamics beneath western Anatolia influence hazard patterns and underpin the region’s high geothermal potential.

Tectonic and Volcanic Processes in Western Anatolia publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in tectonic and volcanic processes in western anatolia across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Slab rollback: Retreat of a subducting tectonic plate that drives extension in the overlying crust.

Coulomb stress transfer: Redistribution of crustal stress following fault slip that can promote or delay subsequent earthquakes.

Graben: An elongated block of crust bounded by normal faults, formed under extensional tectonics.

Palaeoseismology: Study of prehistoric earthquakes through trenching and geological evidence to reconstruct ancient seismic events.

Heat flow: Conductive energy transfer from Earth’s interior to the surface, used to infer geothermal gradients and tectonic activity.

References

1. Constraining Historical Earthquake Sequences With Coulomb Stress Models: An Example From Western Türkiye. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (2023).
2. Palaeoseismological assessment for a seismic gap located very close to the epicentre of the 30 October 2020 Samos Earthquake (M6.9), western Anatolia, Turkey. Natural Hazards (2024).
3. Geothermal investigations in western Anatolia using equilibrium temperatures from shallow boreholes. Solid Earth (SE) (2015).
4. Greece and Turkey Shaken by African tectonic retreat. Scientific Reports (2021).
5. High-K volcanism in the Afyon region, western Turkey: from Si-oversaturated to Si-undersaturated volcanism. International Journal of Earth Sciences (2012).
6. Documenting Exhumation in the Central and Northern Menderes Massif (Western Turkey): New Insights from Garnet-Based P-T Estimates and K-Feldspar 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology. Lithosphere (2020).