Anatolian Fault Zone
The Anatolian Fault Zone is a fault system in Turkey that separates the Eurasian and Anatolian plates in northern Turkey. It is likely the most active fault system in the world and seismologists believe that earthquakes progress along the fault from west to east, with each one triggering the next further west.
- The fault zone includes the North Anatolian Fault and the East Anatolian Fault.
- North Anatolian Fault Zone: It is a 1,500 kilometer long fault that runs from the East Anatolian Fault in eastern Turkey, across northern Turkey, and into the Aegean Sea. The fault passes within 20 kilometers of Istanbul, Turkey’s most populated city and deforms at a rate of about 18 millimeters per year.
- East Anatolian Fault Zone: It is a 700 kilometer long fault that runs from eastern to south-central Turkey and forms the tectonic boundary between the Anatolian and Arabian plates. The fault has a slip rate of 6 to 10 millimeters per year.
- The Anatolian fault zone has caused some of the most destructive earthquakes in history. The average displacement of the two sides of the zone since 1939 is about 90 cm.
- Anatolian Plate geographically consists mostly of the Aegean Sea and the countries of Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, and Crete.
Top 10 Most Active Earthquake Zones in The World
List of Top 10 Most Active Earthquake Zones: The Top 10 Most Active Earthquake Zones are Pacific Ring of Fire, Himalayan Region, Alpide Belt, East African Rift, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Anatolian Fault Zone, San Andreas Fault, Japan Trench, Tonga Trench, and Java Trench. Pacific Ring of Fire also known as the “Ring of Fire”, is the world’s greatest earthquake and volcanic-prone zone. It accounts for 81 percent of recorded earthquakes in the world.
Earthquakes are the abrupt shaking of the earth’s surface by the sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust, resulting in seismic waves. It occurs due to the movement of tectonic plates beneath the Earth’s surface. The point where the energy is released is called the earthquake’s focus, and the point directly above it on the Earth’s surface is the epicenter.
In this article, we will look into the List of the Top 10 Most Active Earthquake Zones in the world. We will also discuss the location and characteristics of these active Earthquake Zones.
Table of Content
- Earthquake
- List of Top 10 Most Active Earthquake Zones
- Pacific Ring of Fire
- Himalayan Region
- Alpide Belt
- East African Rift
- Mid-Atlantic Ridge
- Anatolian Fault Zone
- San Andreas Fault
- Japan Trench
- Tonga Trench
- Java Trench