Log in to view full website content, join discussions, and to post information.

Recent comments

  • dolan
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    In looking in a bit more detail at Google Earth, there is a nearly continuous 32-km-long north-side-up scarp extending eastward from Van Golu through Mollakasim through Alakoy to Ozkaynak to south of Gulsunler where what looks like the fold front steps northward by 2 km to near Otluca and then continues eastward through Adiguzel and Satibey and then eastward into Ercek Golu. At the west end, there is another prominanet structure about 5 km south of Mollakasim that extends westward into van Golu with significant topographic expression (it forms that prominent peninsular extending into the lake). Looks like a nice active west-west fold-thrust belt...
  • dolan
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    Hi Ken, The new aftershock maps provided by Sinan suggest that the event was north of where the earlier aftershocks had it. Not sure which set of data is more likely to be accurate, but there are certainly some nice (perhaps fluvially modified) semi-continuous north-side-up scarps extending along the northern edge of that prominent mid-range east-west valley. Has anybody heard who is heading for the epicentral region from Turkey? James
  • hudnut
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago

    Thanks to Sinan Akciz and Jascha Polet for links and figures showing mainshock and aftershock locations from Kandilli Obs. and DEPREM. Figures from each are attached.

    Here are their web sites:

    http://www.deprem.gov.tr/sarbis/Deprem/SonDepremler.aspx

    http://www.koeri.boun.edu.tr/sismo/map/en/index.html

  • dolan
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    Certainly does look as if that east-west extending westward from Ercek Golu through Gedelova could be a fault or possibly fold scarp. I wonder if we had any co-seismic fold growth. that would be quite exciting to document.
  • fielding
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    The Envisat archive SAR data has been ordered for a GEO Supersite (not sure yet whether it will be full Event Supersite or under "Other"). The web page should be available at some point under http://supersites.earthobservations.org/main.php
  • fielding
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    I just heard from Ken Hudnut that Turkey has activated the Disaster Charter, so Radarsat-2 should acquire data. The Radarsat-2 Charter data probably won't be available outside of a limited "response" community.
  • fialko
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    There appears to be no pre-earthquake acquisitions from Radarsat-2. Is there a mechanism to encourage CSA to acquire post-event data (Disaster Charter? Canadian colleagues?).
  • fielding
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    I think it will be possible to share ESA Envisat data. Not sure if this will be a full GEO Event Supersite or the "other event" category with only ESA data. The data agreements with ASI for CSK data prevent any kind of data sharing, sorry.
  • sakciz
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    Tom, You know the answer to this question very well... Kondo did a spectacular job with the NAF, but that's it. I am not sure if anybody has mapped here, yet.
  • rockwell
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    Interesting - no faults are mapped where scarps may be present north or south of the range near the epicenter. Sinan - how well is this area likely to have been mapped, especially by a Quaternary geologist looking for active deformation??
  • hudnut
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago

    The event epicenter is within a mountain range. Since the mechanism is thrust (east-west) but the preferred nodal plane is not indicated, it makes sense to look for east-west trending thrust-faulting-related features to the north and south of the epicenter. Tom Rockwell and I have begun to identify a series of features running on both the south and north margins of the mountain range, and a screen shot of these features (view towards the east) is attached.

  • sakciz
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago

    Here are some fault and geology maps (1:500k) for reference.

  • gareth
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago

    Are there plans to share the ESA and ASI data, do you know? It would be great if we could get a supersite set up.

  • owen
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago

    Attaching figure showing location of continuous GPS sites in the region that are archived at UNAVCO. Unfortunately, nearest sites (NSSP, DYR2, DYAR) don't have recent data files on UNAVCO or SOPAC, so not likely to get coseismic offsets from those locations anytime soon. Will keep looking on some other archives.

    There is recent data from ZECK, but that's ~750 km away.

  • eqadmin
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago

    Here is an info from Government (strong Motion Group Site): One record from Bitlis (116 km from epicenter) has 102 gals peak acceleration. No other records yet.

    Regards.
    Mehmet Celebi (USGS, Menlo Park)
    650-329-5623

  • fielding
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago

    {sorry about duplication. I was not sure first try went through.}

    Fortunately, the Italian Space Agency has been acquiring COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) images of Van. I attach a PDF with a map of the image coverage and quicklook of the most recent image. I hope to get the CSK images this week.

  • yule
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago

     Here is a screen capture from Google Earth (oblique view to NNW) showing the degraded scarp(s) that I think Tom is referring to. One appears to trend ENE from Golyazi (note a step to the north east of this village). A second, and slightly higher scarp appears to run through the village of Gedelova.

  • fielding
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    Fortunately, the Italian Space Agency has been acquiring COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) images of Van. I attach a PDF with a map of the image coverage and quicklook of the most recent image. I hope to get the CSK images this week.
  • owen
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    Rob Reilinger from MIT has worked in that area: GPS constraints on continental deformation in the Africa‐Arabia‐Eurasia continental collision zone and implications for the dynamics of plate interactions [Preview] R. Reilinger, et al. J. Geophys. Res., 111, B05411, doi:10.1029/2005JB004051, 2006
  • rockwell
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    There appears to be a degraded scarp in the epicentral region, as interpreted from GoogleEarth, which runs from Van Golu (lake) ENE near Kalecik, Golyazi and into Ercek Golu (lake) - may be a degraded fault scarp, suggesting N side up.
  • scottcal
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    Does anyone know of a velocity model (preferably 3D) for eastern Turkey? -Scott
  • eqadmin
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago

    Colleagues,

    Today's earthquake in eastern Turkey may require an conference call to assist in the coordination our scientific and engineering response activities.  The scope of the damage and number of casualties are unclear as of noon today.  I anticipate we'll make a decision early tomorrow (Monday 10/24/11) on the need for a call either later in the day or early next week.

    If you have any information regarding the situation on the ground please pass it along.

    Thanks for you help.  Regards,

    John

    John R. Filson                                      
    Acting Program Coordinator
    Earthquake Hazards
    U. S. Geological Survey                                
    MS 905 Reston, Virginia 20192
    Phone:  703-648-6785
    Cell:  703-851-0383

  • djackson
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    Does anyone know of detailed fault maps for the area, and / or satellite or aerial imagery before the event? Dave Jackson
  • tjordan
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago

    Here's a map cobbled together from USGS data.

  • fielding
    2011.10.23 - M7.2 Eastern Turkey   13 years 8 weeks ago
    This quake is in the "sweet spot" for Envisat 2010+ orbit InSAR, and there have been several acquisitions on the two descending tracks covering the area (beam I6). Next acquisitions on these two tracks are already planned for 31 October and 19 November. COSMO-SkyMed has a number of images in stripmap mode covering the city of Van with most recent image on 10 October 2011. Next pass that could acquire InSAR-compatible data is on 26 October.