Evidence for the reactivation of a pre-existing zone of weakness and its contributions to the evolution of the Küçük Menderes Graben: a study on the Ephesus Fault, Western Anatolia, Turkey

A detailed geological analysis of the Ephesus region reveals that the Ephesus Fault, initially active as a left-lateral strike-slip fault during the Early–Middle Miocene, was later reactivated as a dip-slip normal fault in the Middle Miocene and continues to shape the modern Küçük Menderes Graben (KMG). The study identifies three distinct deformation phases, with the main extension direction changing from northwest to northeast, suggesting an approximately 60° rotation around vertical axes. This rotation is attributed to the region's location within the strike-slip dominated İzmir-Balıkesir Transfer Zone (İBTZ). The research combines structural, stratigraphic, and sedimentological data to elucidate the fault's role in the evolution of the KMG basin.

Sümer, Ö. (2015). Evidence for the reactivation of a pre-existing zone of weakness and its contributions to the evolution of the Küçük Menderes Graben: a study on the Ephesus Fault, Western Anatolia, Turkey. Geodinamica Acta, 27(2-3), 130–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/09853111.2014.986874