Sea column and seabed features between Kızılcaterzi and Kemer, Strait of Çanakkale

ALPAR Ş. B., Taktak O., Yalçıner A. C.

Symposium on Earth System Sciences, Turkey, 1 - 04 September 2004, pp.503-510, (Full Text)

  • Publication Type: Conference Paper / Full Text
  • Country: Turkey
  • Page Numbers: pp.503-510
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Grids of shallow seismic, 3.5 kHz sub-bottom profiler, echosounder and sidescan sonar data
acquired in the area between Kızılcaterzi and Kemer to the Marmara exit of the Strait of
Çanakkale (Dardanelles) have been the subject of detailed interpretation allowing the mapping
of seafloor and subbottom features, shallow gas accumulations and gas escape features. Under
the characteristic two-layer exchange flow regime of the strait, the study area has complex
seabed morphology and different sediment properties influenced by the tectonic and eustatic
activities during the late Quaternary. Geophysical results indicated some interesting conical
features distributed on asymmetrical seabed morphology. Discontinuous reflections occasionally
control the bottom morphology. Neotectonic elements (post Early Pliocene units) are placed on
top of a major erosional truncation surface (early Pliocene). Even though no active faults are
seen in the post Early Pliocene sediments which are made up of 5 distinct seismic sequences, the Miocene basement bears some faults in strike-slip character; related here with the NE-SW
trending inactive dextral faults in the western end of the Sea of Marmara. Closer to these faults,
in places where acoustic basement is shallow, and occasionally above the channel-fill deposits, a
large amount of gas seepages were observed above the sea floor and in the water column.