This is a project to use UNAVCO GPS terminals and water vapor radiometers to monitor regional deformation and fault activity in and around Anatolia caused by the convergence of the Arabian plate against Eurasia. The proposed research will be a cooperative effort between MIT, European Geoscientists for the Establishment of Networks for Earthquake Research), the University of Colorado, Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory and collaborating institutions in Turkey. The primary objectives of this project are: 1) to measure directly present-day relative movements of the African, Arabian, Anatolian and Eurasian plates. This objective is an extension of the WEGENER/NASA Geodynamics Project. 2) To determine strain accumulation and release along the major fault systems in Turkey, caused by the convergence of the Arabian-African plates against Eurasia. 3) To determine the amount of internal deformation (elastic and non-elastic) within the blocks or platelets bounded by major faults. The tectonic conditions, timing and logistical arrangements are ideal for the initiation of this project. Within its geographic boundaries, Turkey includes parts of the Arabian, African and Eurasian plates, and the highly deformed convergency zone between these plates (Anatolia).
