Fault Geometry and Kinematics Within the Anatolian Microplate from Restored Pleistocene Lava Flows

Abstract Kinematic constraints on faults with slow slip rates often diverge, obscuring their neotectonic significance and seismic hazards. The Tuz Gölü Fault Zone (TGFZ) is a slow-moving fault accommodating intraplate deformation within central Anatolia, for which long-term geological and short-term geodetic deformation rates disagree. Here, the Pleistocene–Recent kinematic evolution of the TGFZ is determined by dating dissected lava flows of the Hasandağ stratocone. Combined zircon U-Th and (U-Th)/He ages indicate emplacement between 151 ± 6 ka and 38.8 ± 2.0 ka (2σ uncertainties). Restoring flow levees as tie points across fault scarps yields vertical displacement rates of 0.90 ± 0.06 mm/a for the most reliable projection, whereas only negligible dextral strike-slip at 0.01 ± 0.08 mm/a is permitted. Predominantly normal faulting along the TGFZ since the Middle–Late Pleistocene argues against tectonic models involving N-S directed shortening, and instead supports E-W directed extension of Central Anatolia as it escapes westward.