Underwater morphology of the Aegean Sea and natural prolongation of the Anatolian Mainland

Underwater morphology of the Aegean Sea and natural prolongation of the Anatolian mainland

Mustafa Eryılmaz, Bedri Alpar, Ertuğrul Doğan, Hüseyin Yüce, Fulya Yücesoy Eryılmaz

Department of Navigation, Hydrography and Oceanography, 81647 Çubuklu, Istanbul, TURKEY
Istanbul University, Institute of Marine Sciences arid Management, 34470 Vefa, Istanbul, TURKEY
Istanbul Technical University, Ship Construction and Marine Sciences Faculty, 80626, Ayazaga, Istanbul, TURKEY

Abstract

Underwater morphologic structures are closely related to the structural geology. Therefore, the determination of the relationship between the actual underwater morphology and the tectonic evolution of the region is rather important in order to draw the natural prolongation of the Anatolian mainland and to draw a natural border between Anatolian and Greek mainlands. For this purpose, the actual underwater morphological structures in the Aegean Sea were determined and correlated with the available geologic and geophysical data. The Greek and Turkish islands placed in the Eastern Aegean Sea formed the upper parts of the mountains before the subsidence of the region and the eastern part of the Aegean Sea is on the natural prolongation of the Anatolian mainland. The natural border separating the two mainlands is placed close to the coasts of the Greek mainland. These findings indicate that the islands close to the Anatolian coast are natural prolongation of the mainland.

Keywords: Aegean Sea, natural prolongation, geomorphology