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FP6 - ESONET MARMARA project

Programme: FP 6

Project title: European Seas Observatory Network - Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatories for Seismogenic Hazard Monitoring in the Marmara

Acronym: Esonet-Marmara-DM

Duration: 2007-2010

Total Budget : € 50.000

Web site: www.esonet.marmara-dm.itu.edu.tr

Summary:   The goal of the present demonstration mission (MARMARA-DM) is to contribute to the establishment of optimized permanent seafloor observatory stations for earthquake monitoring in the Marmara Sea, as part of ESONET NoE. The Marmara Sea (MS) offers the ideal location for seafloor seismogenic observations directed towards risk assessment, because of the following reasons:  

  • the deformation rates (20 mm/y) are very high compared to any other marine sites in Europe, resulting in active submarine processes that are measurable on short time scales  
  • more than 15 millions people are under the threat of seismogenic hazard in the whole Marmara Region. Hence, the continuous seafloor monitoring would have high societal impact
  • Numerous fluid vents and related features have been discovered along the MS fault system (Figs. 1 & 2). The MS is thus a unique area to test hypothesis on the relations between strike-slip deformation, seismic activity, fluid flow and gas expulsion within the active fault zone.
  • logistics are favored by the proximity to the coastlines (only 5 to 30 km), which make cost-effective and realistic the establishment of permanent seafloor observatories.

Contact person in ISMAR: alina.polonia@ismar.cnr.it

Partnership:

  1. Ifremer -  France
  2. Istanbul Technical University - Turkey
  3. Dokuz Eylul University, Izmit, - Turkey
  4. Cnrs - France
  5. CNR/ISMAR - Italy
  6. INGV - Italy
  7. Université Pierre & Marie Curie - France
  8. Geomar - Germany
  9. National Oceanographic Center - UK
  10. Scripps Institution of Oceanography - USA
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