Structural Impacts on Crustal Seismicity of Lake Van Basin (Eastern Turkey): Seismological Constraints for Crustal Defor

Orogenic and seismically active lakes constitute only a few of the world’s lakes and do not produce the largest earthquakes. However, strike-slip lacustrine basins point to sharp mechanical changes at the bends along their faults, with specific implications for lacustrine earthquakes. Increasing attention has been paid to the micro and intermediate seismic events on the Highlands lacustrine environment “Lake Van basin” of Eastern Anatolia High Plateau (Eastern Turkey), creating solid base of seismic reflection and seismogram data for the estimation of structural characteristics of intra-plate earthquakes based on tectonic and sedimentary observations. Anomalous distribution of earthquake patterns and fault focal mechanisms in Lake Van underscore the need for better use of seismological and seismic structural information from the lake to understand its Highlands crustal seismicity and contribute to thin-skinned crustal deformation. Seismogram data clearly support overall deformation patterns shown by seismic sections and comparatively characterize them with the evolution of earthquake waveforms during magma migration and brittle faulting at volcanic stress conditions of the lake. This study has strong structural and seismological impacts on the surficial manifestation of volcano-seismicity and physical mechanism of tectono-magmatic processes all over Lake Van, significantly giving an evidence of “the Highlands lacustrine seismicity”.