Morphotectonic Analysis between Crete and Kasos

D. Lampridou

, P. Nomikou

, M. Alexandri, D. Papanikolaou

, C. Hübscher

Th. Ioannou

, P. Sorotou

and L. Ragia

Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,

Panepistimioupoli Zografou, 15784 Athens, Greece

Institute of Geophysics, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, University of 11 Hamburg,

Bundesstraße. 55, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany

Natural Hazards, Tsunami and Coastal Engineering Laboratory, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece

Keywords: Swath Bathymetry, Crete and Kasos, Morphotectonic Analysis.

Abstract: The morphotectonic structure of the offshore area lying between Crete and Kasos is studied on the basis of

new detailed bathymetric data. The resulting bathymetric map is presented. Qualitative analysis of

morphological slope values, as well as the analysis of the watershed at the eastern part of Crete, confirms that

the current seabed topographic relief reflects intense tectonic activity. The high morphological slope values

indicate well-defined morphotectonic features, which mainly trend SW-NE and, secondarily, SSW-NNE. The

main large-scale tectonic structures trend SW-NE correspond to the marginal faults that bound the Crete-

Kasos basin. The overall basin geometry is an elongated rectangular which is divided into seven sub-basins,

and the deepest one (2800m) is located at the eastern part of the area. Moreover, the complex regime of the

seafloor includes submarine canyons, landslides and a well-defined slump with vertical displacement more

than 400m.

1 INTRODUCTION

The importance for improving our understanding of

geohazards is evident from global events. Globally,

disasters affected 150 million people and inflicted an

estimated damage of US$ 100-150 billion over a few

years as documented by various reports

(http://www.unisdr.org).

Kvalstad (2007) defined geohazard in the offshore

domain, as ‘‘local and/or regional site and soil

conditions having a potential of developing into

failure events causing loss of life or damage to health,

environment or field installations’’. Examples of

such hazards include earthquakes and submarine

landslides, iceberg scouring of the seabed, and gas

migration that can lead to locally overpressurized

sediments and potential terrain instability and/or

blowouts (Fig.1). Secondary effects such as tsunamis

(either triggered by earthquakes or landslides) also

need to be considered, as both their genesis and

propagation are strongly controlled by seafloor

morphology (Chiocci et al.,2011). Hence, there is an

urgent need to determine better the development of

geohazards and inherent risks, and an adequate

response to them. This need is also accentuated by

the increased vulnerability of coastal areas to

earthquakes because of rapid growth of urban centres.

Tsunamis are a low frequency natural hazard with

potentially catastrophic consequences. The

knowledge of their recurrence is of critical

importance for the development of models and

scenarios adapted to local and regional conditions,

thus giving support to the design of warning systems

and mitigation measures.

The Hellenic subduction zone (HSZ) has

historically generated among the most devastating

earthquakes, and by far the most damaging tsunamis

in the entire Mediterranean region. Historic

earthquakes along the HSZ, particularly along the

Crete segment, attest to some degree of coupling on

the plate interface(Shaw et al., 2008; Guidoboni and

Comastri, 1997; England et al., 2015).

To properly assess and describe hazards

complexity and manageability it is required an

understanding of the broader geologic, sedimentary

and tectonic variability. Therefore, multi-disciplinary

surveys aimed at detecting and mapping geohazards,

are being conducted.

The advent of multibeam sonar (MBS)

technology has allowed imaging of the seafloor with

unparalleled resolution, spatial coverage and

142

Lampridou, D., Nomikou, P., Alexandri, M., Papanikolaou, D., Hübscher, C., Ioannou, T., Sorotou, P. and Ragia, L.

Morphotectonic Analysis between Crete and Kasos.

DOI: 10.5220/0006387201420150

In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management (GISTAM 2017), pages 142-150

ISBN: 978-989-758-252-3

precision and today offer the most cost effective way

to explore the ocean floor (Hughes et al. 1996,

Chiocci et al.2011).

High resolution swath data obtained during

oceanographic cruise in the framework of FP7

“ASTARTE: Assessment, Strategy and Risk

Reduction for Tsunamis in Europe-ASTARTE’’

project in the South Aegean Sea. The aim of this

paper has been the fault recognition by applying

morphostructural analysis, which was based on the

quantitative interpretation of the seafloor topography,

the slope distribution and the drainage pattern

development in the offshore area lying between Crete

and Kasos.

Figure 1: Cartoon summarizing the seafloor features linked

to potentially hazardous geological processes (Chiocci et

al., 2011).

2 REGIONAL SETTING

The Hellenic subduction zone is the largest, fastest

and most seismically active subduction zone in the

Mediterranean, where the African slab subducts

beneath Crete at a rate of ~36mm yr

-1

(McCluscky et

al., 2000; Reilinger et al., 2006). The subduction rate

greatly exceeds the convergence between Africa

(Nubia) and Eurasia (5-10 mm yr

-1

) because of the

rapid SW motion of the southern Aegean itself,

relative to Eurasia ( McKenzie 1972; Reilinger et al.,

2006). The surface morphology of the subduction

system is obscured beneath a sedimentary section up

to 10km thick overlying the ocean crust, which is

deformed in a broad accretionary prism south of

Crete, known as the Mediterrannean Ridge

accretionary complex ~150 km south of Crete (Le

Pichon et al.1979, Kastens, 1991, Chamot-Rooke et

al., 2004). A dramatic 2-3 km high, south-facing

bathymetric scarp extends in an arc between the

Peloponnese and Crete, splitting into three branches

south of Crete, and continuing east up to Rhodes

constituting Ptolemy, Pliny and Strabo trenches

(McKenzie 1978; Le Pichon et al.1979). Although

this scarp is referred as the Hellenic Trench, the

southern margin of the continental Aegean

lithosphere is located about 100 km south of the

Cretan coast (Bohnhoff et al., 2001) and it is possible

to follow the subduction zone through a well-defined

Benioff zone to a depth of 150-180 km below the

central Aegean Sea (Papazachos et al., 2000). The

Ptolemy, Strabo and Pliny Trenches, despite their

names, are not trenches in the plate-tectonic sense but

probably represent the outcrop of major faults within

the deforming sedimentary wedge on top of the

Nubian plate (Shaw et al., 2008; , Shaw,B.,

Jackson,J., 2010, Huguen et al., 2001; Le Pichon X,

Angelier J. 1979; Kreemer C, Chamot-Rooke N.

2004; Mascle et al., 1986; McKenzie 1978; Gallen et

al., 2104). While the Hellenic Trench is generally

considered to represent the outcrop of a reverse fault,

the Pliny and Strabo Trenches have been interpreted

as the expressions of normal faulting ([Gallen et al.,

2014), strike-slip faulting (Mascle et al., 1982;

Ozbakir et al., 2013), reverse faulting (Shaw and

Jackson, 2010; Jongsma 1977) and various

combinations of these (e.g. Huguen et al., 2001;

Mascle et al 1986, Peters and Huson 1985; tenVenn

et al., 2009).

Nowadays, the Hellenic arc is associated with

moderate arc-parallel extension and strong

compression perpendicular to it (Kahle et al., 1998).

The geometry of tectonic troughs offshore Crete

reflects a two-tier deformation mechanism at depth,

in which oblique extension predominates in the upper

10-15km of the crust and oblique compression

predominates underneath this limit (Kokkinou et al.

2012). This obliquity has been associated with rapid

exhumation of basement units and intense uplift of

the forearc region where Crete, Gavdos, Kasos and

Karpathos islands are located (Le Pichon et al., 2002).

The Hellenic Subduction Zone (HSZ) produced two

M~8 earthquakes, both near Crete, during the > 2000

year historic record, AD 365 and AD 1303 (Shaw et

al., 2008; Guidoboni and Comastri, 1997; England et

al., 2015). Both caused severe damage from shaking

and the resulting tsunamis caused major damage

around the Eastern Mediterranean. The precise

locations and mechanisms of these ancient events are

not well known. The AD 365 event is thought to have

occurred on a splay fault extending from the plate

interface towards the surface below southwestern

Crete (Shaw et al., 2008). Large uplift recorded by

shorelines in western Crete has been interpreted as

due to coseismic slip on the splay fault. The location

Morphotectonic Analysis between Crete and Kasos

143

of the AD 1303 event is constrained only from

damage reports and is believed to be located near

southeast Crete (Guidoboni and Comastri, 1997).

Significantly, the AD 1303 event caused no

observable shoreline uplift, although a substantial

tsunami was well recorded (England et al., 2015).

Noteworthy are the catastrophic events in AD 365

and AD 1303, during which Alexandria and the rest

of the Nile Delta were flooded extensively by the

tsunamis triggered by these events (Ambraseys

2009).

The offshore area between Crete and Kasos is

characterised by the large number of poorly

characterized bathymetric scarps that cross the

region. Each of these is potentially associated with a

fault capable of generating a rare, high-magnitude,

earthquake. Unlike the other parts of the Hellenic

plate boundary, however, there is no possibility of

detecting past earthquakes from on-shore geological

evidence. The principal faults lie far enough from the

shore that no detectable uplift of shorelines would be

expected (Howell et al. 2015), making a detailed

marine survey essential.

According to England et al., 2015, the Pliny

Trench is the most probable source of a tsunamigenic

earthquake in HSZ. Nevertheless, large earthquakes

occurring along Strabo and Ptolemy Trenches, can

trigger tsunamis.

Although the Hellenic system represents the most

significant seismic and tsunami hazard in the

Mediterranean region, its kinematics and associated

hazards remain uncertain because available GPS data

are not sufficiently precise and spatially distributed to

determine the distribution of strain accumulation on

the plate boundary faults (England et al., 2015). Many

important details of the kinematics-dynamics of the

Hellenic subduction zone remain poorly understood

and under debate.

3 METHODOLOGY

3.1 Data Acquisition

Data used in this paper have been obtained onboard

R/V Med Surveyor in the framework of the research

program “ASTARTE: Assessment, Strategy and Risk

Reduction for Tsunamis in Europe-ASTARTE’’.

Swath bathymetry data were acquired using

multibeam echosounder Elac’s SeaBeam 3030, which

operates in the 30 kHz band and incorporates a multi-

ping capability (two swaths per ping). Data were

logged with HYPACK. The collected multibeam data

have been extensively processed by means of data

editing, cleaning of erroneous beams, filtering of

noise, processing of navigation data and interpolation

of missing beams, using the open-source software

MB-SYSTEM, and then gridded with grid spacing of

50m. Analyses and representation of bathymetric data

were performed with ArcGIS 10.1 software and

Global Mapper v.16.

Figure 2: General map of the area (Kokinou et al., 2012),

the red box corresponds to the study area.

Figure 3: All earthquake focal mechanisms, with Mw>4.0

and focal depths less than 25 km, are plotted which reflect

the accommodation of extension within the material of the

overriding southern Aegean Sea, above the subduction

interface (Kiratzi, 2013).

3.2 Bathymetry Map

The resulting slope-shaded bathymetric map was

compiled at 1:300,000 scale. This map permits a first

description of the overall topography of the seafloor

as well as the mapping of the major morphotectonic

structures (Fig.4a).

3.3 Slope Map

The bathymetric map of the area was analysed as far

as the slope distribution is concerned. The slope

distribution map shows the distribution of slope

GISTAM 2017 - 3rd International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management

144

values within the study area distinguished in four

categories a) areas of mean morphological slope 0⁰-

5⁰, b) areas of 5⁰-20⁰ , c) areas of 20⁰-40⁰ d) and

areas of >40⁰. This classification of the slope

magnitude will illustrate the zones where there is an

abrupt change of slope, reflecting possible positions

of active tectonic zones in contrast with zones with

negligible change of slope, which reflect flat-lying

areas such as submarine terraces or basinal areas

(Fig.4b).

3.4 Slope-aspect Map

The combined slope-aspect map captures both the

direction of the slopes and their steepness, illustrating

the overall geometry of the area and changes in the

relief orientation which may be attributed to active

tectonic structures. The direction of the

slope(degrees) is expressed in hue and the steepness

of the slope (degrees) is expressed by its saturation

(Fig.4c).

3.5 Watershed

Submarine canyons, small gullies and stream network

were extracted for the entire area employing the in-

built hydrology tools. When extracting the drainage

pattern the following points have to be taken into

account : a) the flow accumulation output grid was

produced by applying a threshold upstream cell

number of 200, b) multibeam artefacts can result in

the interruption of streams or the generation of

spurious ones.

4 RESULTS

Synthetic Morphotectonic Map of the under study

area was carried out by means of the combined use

of: (a) Seabed Digital Elevation Model (SDEM), (b)

Slope Distribution Map, (c) Slope-aspect Map and (d)

Drainage Pattern Map. The composition of the digital

modelling in conjunction with the regional

geodynamic setting, allows the identification of the

main morphological discontinuities and lineaments

that result from morphotectonic.

The bathymetric map reveals a rather rough

seafloor topography where flat-lying areas alternate

with rough morphology. Two prominent fault zones

form the general structure of the area. The first fault

zone strikes SW-NE comprising the marginal faults

that delineate the central subsided area. The second

fault zone, strikes SSW-NNE and crosscuts the first

one. The topographic difference along the marginal

faults, which apparently correlates with the fault

throw, ranges between 1200m up to 1500m. The

northern marginal fault presents its greater

topographic difference at the western and far eastern

part, while the southern marginal fault at its eastern

part. This is possibly linked to the different structural

deformation of the area. The basinal area that is

bounded by the previous SW-NE identified fault

zone, is divided into seven elongated sub-basins,

parallel to the alignment of the marginal faults. The

sub-basins are lying at 2200m, 2500m, 2600m and

2800 water depths respectively. The eastern basin is

a simple geometric basin with a flat-lying sea bottom

(2800m) at the junction of the two major marginal

fault zones, and its maximum subsidence is

accommodated by the southern marginal fault. The

western part of the basin has a very complex

topographic regime carved by several sub-basins

developed with different geometric shapes at

different water depths and separated by distinct

intermediate submarine ridge with topographic

differences ranging from 150m of meters.

Numerous gullies that dissect the slopes, trending

almost NW-SE, coalesce at several depths ending up

at the seven sub-basins. The most prominent

submarine canyon is the one bounded by the

secondary fault zone that strikes SSW-NNE. Its a U-

shaped rather linear feature and its thalweg depth

ranges between 1300m and 2800m water depth. The

channel walls are asymmetrical and the axis profile

displays a linear morphology (Fig.5).

Submarine landslides were also identified in the

study area by the typical crescent-shape scar. The

most interesting is the one comprising the NW flank

of the linear channel. It is a typical slump with four

distinguishable «steps» at 1500m, 1600m, 1700m

1800m, meaning that the vertical displacement is

approximately 100m. Noteworthy is that this kind of

landslides can trigger tsunamis.

5 CONCLUSIONS

The morphotectonic interpretation, accomplished by

the compilation of the previously presented maps in

combination with the multichannel seismic profiles

acquired during the project, has led to the

construction of the Morphotectonic map (Fig.6).

The Crete – Kasos studied area comprises a more

than 50km long basin in the ENE-WSW direction

with an average width of 10km. This basin forms a

tectonic graben bounded by two sub-parallel marginal

fault zones, which have produced a relative

subsidence of more than 1200m of the basinal area.

Morphotectonic Analysis between Crete and Kasos

145

The sea bottom of the basin is complicated with seven

sub-basins elongated in the ENE-WSW direction

separated by intermediate ridges not depassing 150m

of relative relief. The sea bottom at the eastern larger

basin occurs at a depth of 2800m. Along the shallow

slopes of the two marginal fault zones outside the

basin a large number of submarine canyons and

landslides occur as well as a slumbed area of

20X30km at the northern margin, whose overall

vertical displacement seems to exceed 400m. The two

ENE-WSW marginal faults form two broad zones of

a few km width along their dip towards the subsided

zone with topographic differences ranging between

1300 and 1500m. Several sub-parallel faults are

observed within the basin, which form an

intermediate ridge/horst along the axis of the tectonic

graben. These faults might represent antithetic faults

to the major marginal faults of the graben. Outside the

basin/graben the observed faults show a NE-SW

orientation with a prominent elongated tectonic

valley/graben at the eastern part, which seems to

affect also the continuity of the northern marginal

fault towards the ENE. The topographic effect of the

two marginal faults is different along their strike with

maximum cliff observed at the western part of the

northern fault whereas the maximum cliff of the

soutyhern fault is observed at the eastern part. The

above narrow tectonic zone/graben of the studied area

between Crete and Kasos corresponds to the eastern

prolongation of the Ptolemy trench, which is

observed from the southern slopes of Gavdos to those

of eastern Crete. The overall tectonic structure

ressembles an transtensive regime with oblique

normal faulting combining an opening in the NW-SE

direction together with a left-lateral strike slip

motion, which is supported also by earthquake

mechanisms.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was supported and funded by the FP7

“ASTARTE: Assessment, Strategy and Risk

Reduction for Tsunamis in Europe-ASTARTE’’.

We are grateful to Costas Synolakis and Philip

England for their beneficial contribution and

comments.

REFERENCES

Ambraseys, N.N. (2009) Earthquakes in the Mediterranean

and middle east: A Multidisciplinary study of Seismicity

up to 1900. Nicholas Ambraseys. Cambridge, UK:

Cambridge University Press.

Bohnhoff, M., Makris, J., Papanikolaou, D. and

Stavrakakis, G. (2001) ‘Crustal investigation of the

Hellenic subduction zone using wide aperture seismic

data’, Tectonophysics, 343(3-4), pp. 239–262. doi:

10.1016/s0040-1951(01)00264-5.

Chiocci, F.L., Cattaneo, A. and Urgeles, R. (2011)

‘Seafloor mapping for geohazard assessment: State of

the art’, Marine Geophysical Research, 32(1-2), pp. 1–

11. doi: 10.1007/s11001-011-9139-8.

England, P., Howell, A., Jackson, J., Synolakis, C., 2015.

Palaeotsunamis and tsunami hazards in the Eastern

Mediterranean. Philosophical Transactions of the

Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and

Engineering Sciences 373, 20140374.

doi:10.1098/rsta.2014.037.

Gallen, S., Wegmann, K., Bohnenstiehl, D., Pazzaglia, F.,

Brandon, M., Fassoulas, C., 2014. Active simultaneous

uplift and margin-normal extension in a forearc high,

Crete, Greece. Earth and Planetary Science Letters

398, 11–24. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2014.04.038.

Guidoboni, E., Comastri, A., 1997. Journal of Seismology.

Journal of Seismology 1, pp. 55–72.

doi:10.1023/a:1009737632542.

Howell, A., Jackson, J., England, P., Higham, T.,

Synolakis, C., 2015. Late Holocene uplift of Rhodes,

Greece: evidence for a large tsunamigenic earthquake

and the implications for the tectonics of the eastern

Hellenic Trench System. Geophysical Journal

International 203, pp.459–474.

doi:10.1093/gji/ggv307.

Huguen, C., Mascle, J., Chaumillon, E., Kopf, A.,

Woodside, J., Zitter, T., 2004. Structural setting and

tectonic control of mud volcanoes from the Central

Mediterranean Ridge (Eastern Mediterranean). Marine

Geology 209, pp. 245–263.

doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2004.05.002.

Hughes Clarke, J.E., Mayer, L.A. and Wells, D.E. (1996)

‘Shallow-water imaging multibeam sonars: A new tool

for investigating seafloor processes in the coastal zone

and on the continental shelf’, Marine Geophysical

Researches, 18(6), pp. 607–629. doi:

10.1007/bf00313877.

Jongsma, D. (1977) ‘Bathymetry and shallow structure of

the Pliny and Strabo “trenches”, south of the Hellenic

Arc’. Geol.Soc.Am.Bull.88, pp. 797–805.

doi:10.1130/00167606(1977)88<797:-

BASSOT>2.0.CO;2.

Kahle, H.-G., Straub, C., Reilinger, R., McClusky, S., King,

R., Hurst, K., Veis, G., Kastens, K. and Cross, P. (1998)

‘The strain rate field in the eastern Mediterranean

region, estimated by repeated GPS measurements’,

Tectonophysics, 294(3-4), pp. 237–252. doi:

10.1016/s0040-1951(98)00102-4.

Kastens, K.A. (1991) ‘Rate of outward growth of the

Mediterranean ridge accretionary complex’

Tectonophysics 199, pp 25-50. doi: 10.1016/0040-

1951(91)90117-B.

GISTAM 2017 - 3rd International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management

146

Kiratzi, A., 2013. The January 2012 earthquake sequence in

the Cretan Basin, south of the Hellenic Volcanic Arc:

Focal mechanisms, rupture directivity and slip models.

Tectonophysics 586, pp.160–172.

doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2012.11.019.

Kokinou, E., Tiago, A., Evangelos, K. and ekokinou (2012)

‘Structural decoupling in a convergent forearc setting

(southern Crete, eastern Mediterranean)’, Geological

Society of America Bulletin, 124(7-8), pp. 1352–1364.

doi: 10.1130/B30492.1.

Kreemer, C., de Géologie, L., supérieure, E. normale, Paris,

Chamot-Rooke, N. and 8538, C.U. (2004)

‘Contemporary kinematics of the southern Aegean and

the Mediterranean ridge’, Geophysical Journal

International, 157(3), pp. 1377–1392. doi:

10.1111/j.1365-246X.2004.02270.x.

Kvalstad, T.J. (2007) ‘What is the current “best practice” in

offshore Geohazard investigations? A state-of-the-art

review’. doi: 10.4043/18545-MS.

Le Pichon, X., Angelier, J., Aubouin, J., Lyberis, N., Monti,

S., Renard, V., Got, H., Hsu¨, K., Mart, Y., Mascle, J.,

Matthews, D., Mitropoulos, D., Tsoflias, P. and

Chronis, G. (1979) ‘From subduction to transform

motion: A seabeam survey of the Hellenic trench

system’, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 44(3),

pp. 441–450. doi: 10.1016/0012-821x(79)90082-7.

Le Pichon, X., Lallemant, S.J., Chamot-Rooke, N., Lemeur,

D. and Pascal, G. (2002) ‘The Mediterranean ridge

backstop and the Hellenic nappes’, Marine Geology,

186(1-2), pp. 111–125. doi: 10.1016/s0025-

3227(02)00175-5.

Mascle, J., Jongsma, D., Campredon, R., Dercourt, J.,

Glaçon, G., Lecleach, A., Lybéris, N., Malod, J.,

Mitropoulos, D., 1982. The Hellenic margin from

eastern Crete to Rhodes: Preliminary results.

Tectonophysics86,pp.133–147. doi:10.1016/0040-

1951(82)90064-6.

Mascle, J., Cleac'h, A., Jongsma, D., 1986. The eastern

Hellenic margin from Crete to Rhodes: Example of

progressive collision. Marine Geology 73, pp.145–168.

doi:10.1016/0025-3227(86)90116-7.

McClusky, S., Balassanian, S., Barka, A., Demir, C.,

Ergintav, S., Georgiev, I., Gurkan, O., Hamburger, M.,

Hurst, K., Kahle, H., Kastens, K., Kekelidze, G., King,

R., Kotzev, V., Lenk, O., Mahmoud, S., Mishin, A.,

Nadariya, M., Ouzounis, A., Paradissis, D., Peter, Y.,

Prilepin, M., Reilinger, R., Sanli, I., Seeger, H., Tealeb,

A., Toksöz, M.N. and Veis, G. (2000) ‘Global

positioning system constraints on plate kinematics and

dynamics in the eastern Mediterranean and

Caucasus’, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid

Earth, 105(B3), pp. 5695–5719. doi:

10.1029/1999jb900351.

McKenzie, D. (1972) ‘Active Tectonics of the

Mediterranean region’, Geophysical Journal

International, 30(2), pp. 109–185. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-

246x.1972.tb02351.x.

McKenzie, D. (1978) ‘Active tectonics of the Alpine--

Himalayan belt: The Aegean sea and surrounding

regions’, Geophysical Journal International, 55(1), pp.

217–254. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1978.tb04759.x.

Özbakır, A.D., Şengör, A., Wortel, M., Govers, R., 2013.

The Pliny–Strabo trench region: A large shear zone

resulting from slab tearing. Earth and Planetary

Science Letters 375, pp.188–195.

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2013.05.025.

Papazachos, B.C., Karakostas, V.G., Papazachos, C.B. and

Scordilis, E.M. (2000) ‘The geometry of the Wadati–

Benioff zone and lithospheric kinematics in the

Hellenic arc’, Tectonophysics, 319(4), pp. 275–300.

doi: 10.1016/s0040-1951(99)00299-1.

Peters, J., Huson, W., 1985. The Pliny and Strabo trenches

(eastern Mediterranean): Integration of seismic

reflection data and SeaBeam bathymetric maps. Marine

Geology 64, pp.1–17. doi:10.1016/0025-

3227(85)90157-4.

Reilinger, R., McClusky, S., Vernant, P., Lawrence, S.,

Ergintav, S., Cakmak, R., Ozener, H., Kadirov, F.,

Guliev, I., Stepanyan, R., Nadariya, M., Hahubia, G.,

Mahmoud, S., Sakr, K., ArRajehi, A., Paradissis, D.,

Al-Aydrus, A., Prilepin, M., Guseva, T., Evren, E.,

Dmitrotsa, A., Filikov, S.V., Gomez, F., Al-Ghazzi, R.

and Karam, G. (2006) ‘GPS constraints on continental

deformation in the Africa-Arabia-Eurasia continental

collision zone and implications for the dynamics of

plate interactions’, Journal of Geophysical Research:

Solid Earth, 111(B5), doi: 10.1029/2005jb004051.

Shaw, B., Ambraseys, N.N., England, P.C., Floyd, M.A.,

Gorman, G.J., Higham, T.F.G., Jackson, J.A., Nocquet,

J.-M., Pain, C.C., Piggott, M.D., (2008). Eastern

Mediterranean tectonics and tsunami hazard inferred

from the AD 365 earthquake. Nature Geoscience 1, pp.

268–276. doi:10.1038/ngeo151.

Shaw, B., Jackson, J., 2010. Earthquake mechanisms and

active tectonics of the Hellenic subduction zone.

Geophysical Journal International.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-246x.2010.04551.x.

Veen, J.T., Boulton, S., Alçiçek, M., 2009. From

palaeotectonics to neotectonics in the Neotethys realm:

The importance of kinematic decoupling and inherited

structural grain in SW Anatolia (Turkey).

Tectonophysics 473, pp.261–281.

doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2008.09.030.

Morphotectonic Analysis between Crete and Kasos

147

Figure 4: a) Bathymetry map, b) Slope map, c) Slope-Aspect map.

)

GISTAM 2017 - 3rd International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management

148

Figure 4: a) Bathymetry map, b) Slope map, c) Slope-Aspect map (cont.).

Figure 5: Detailed view of the Kasos canyon with the location of the cross sections. a. C0-C9 vertical topographic sections

perpendicular to canyon axis, b. Detailed view and topographic section (T1-T2) at the end of canyon.

Morphotectonic Analysis between Crete and Kasos

149

Figure 6: Morphotectonic map.

GISTAM 2017 - 3rd International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management

150