Seismic and stress field characteristics of the Muş Region, Eastern Türkiye: insights into regional seismic hazard
JOURNAL OF SEISMOLOGY, vol.30, no.3, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 30 Issue: 3
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.1007/s10950-026-10399-z
- Journal Name: JOURNAL OF SEISMOLOGY
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Geobase, INSPEC, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Earth, Atmospheric, & Aquatic Science Collection (ProQuest), Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
- Istanbul University Affiliated: No
Abstract
Mu & scedil; region in eastern T & uuml;rkiye is located within a geodynamically complex region shaped by the interaction of the Anatolian, Arabian, and Eurasian plates. Despite the presence of multiple active fault systems, integrated local-scale studies that jointly address seismicity characteristics, fault kinematics, and the crustal stress field remain limited. This study presents a regional-scale seismotectonic assessment of the Mu & scedil; region using an earthquake catalog compiled from data from the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KOERI), covering the period 1903-2025. Reported magnitudes were homogenized to moment magnitude (M-w) using General Orthogonal Regression (GOR), and dependent events were removed to isolate background seismicity. The Gutenberg-Richter relationship, recurrence parameters, and annual probabilities were derived from the completeness-controlled 2000-2025 dataset, yielding a b-value of 1.08 +/- 0.04. Focal mechanism solutions obtained from national and international sources were analyzed to identify dominant faulting styles, and the regional stress tensor was determined through inversion. The results indicate that seismicity in the Mu & scedil; region is dominated by shallow earthquakes, predominantly strike-slip faulting, and a transpressional stress regime characterized by N-S principal compression. By integrating completeness-controlled seismicity statistics with focal-mechanism classification and stress inversion, this study provides a locally constrained seismotectonic framework for the Mu & scedil; region. The proposed approach refines the understanding of active deformation processes in this tectonically complex transition zone and offers a transferable methodological basis for future seismic hazard assessments in eastern T & uuml;rkiye.