Miocene to Quaternary Seismic Stratigraphy and Tectonic Evolution of the Çandarlı Trough and Its Surrounding Area, North-Eastern Aegean Sea

This study focuses on the Çandarlı Trough and its surrounding area, located between the Çandarlı Bay and Plomari Basin, which represents a key but understudied sector of the northeastern Aegean Sea. The interaction between sedimentation and tectonics in this region has been largely overlooked, despite its potential to provide valuable insights into regional tectonic processes. By integrating multibeam bathymetry data, seismic reflection profiles, lithostratigraphic and sonic log data from the Foça-1 exploration well, earthquake focal mechanisms and GPS velocities, this study defines five Miocene-Quaternary seismic stratigraphic units and reconstructs the tectonic evolution of the study area. The seismic succession documents (i) Burdigalian-Serravallian volcanoclastic rocks, (ii) Tortonian terrestrial clastics, (iii) Messinian evaporites, (iv) Pliocene sandstones and limestones and (v) Quaternary sediments. Homogeneous thickness during the Tortonian-Messinian period indicates reduced tectonic activity, whereas renewed Plio-Quaternary deformation is expressed by active NW-SE-striking normal faults and uplifted shelf margins. Earthquake focal mechanisms and GPS vectors confirm ongoing transtension and right-lateral shear, positioning the Çandarlı Trough as a transitional zone between the westward-moving Anatolian Block and the Aegean back-arc system. These results refine the regional tectonic framework by linking local basin development to the wider tectonic evolution of the northeastern Aegean extensional system.