PodcastSouth delta of Kanal Istanbul to be 'violently impacted' by expected earthquake
Prof. Naci Görür, a member of Turkey's The Science Academy, said the southern delta of Kanal Istanbul will be "violently impacted" by the long-awaited Istanbul earthquake. Görür said that the land surrounding the southern mouth of the canal, between the two Çekmece Lakes, contained many fault lines, and the continent shelf was highly fragmented, a huge risk in a possible earthquake.
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The expected "Great Istanbul Earthquake" could seriously damage the southern delta of Kanal Istanbul, an artificial canal designed to cut through Thrace, said Prof. Naci Görür, a member of Turkey's Science Academy.
"The expected 7.2 magnitude earthquake might violently impact the area between the Marmara mouth of the canal and Küçükçekmece," Görür said.
In a social media post, Görür noted that the land surrounding the southern half of the canal between the Çekmece Lakes contains many fault lines, and that these lines may be active.
"These fault lines run Northwest to Southeast. There's a great chance that some of these lines might still be active; they're not deep underground either, they're 4-5 kilometers below at some points," Görür said.
Görür added that the fault lines under the sea may be connected to the Çatalca fault lines and those between the Çekmece lakes.
"The fact that the continental shelf is fragmented in the area might exacerbate the effects of a potential activity in the fault lines and cause a great catastrophe," Görür said.
Görür called out to the authorities to not start construction on the canal before thorough geological and geophysical studies are conducted into the continent shelf in the area.