Aydın Büyüksaraç

Indoor and outdoor Radon concentration measurements in Sivas, Turkey, in comparison with geological setting

Indoor and soil gas Radon ((222)Rn) concentration measurements were accomplished in two stages in Sivas, a central eastern city in Turkey. In the first stage, CR-39 passive nuclear track detectors supplied by the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEA) were placed in the selected houses throughout Sivas centrum in two seasons; summer and winter. Before the setup of detectors, a detailed questionnaire form was distributed to the inhabitants of selected houses to investigate construction parameters and properties of the houses, and living conditions of inhabitants. Detectors were collected back two months later and analysed at TAEA laboratories to obtain indoor (222)Rn gas concentration values. In the second stage, soil gas (222)Rn measurements were performed using an alphameter near the selected houses for the indoor measurements. Although (222)Rn concentrations in Sivas were quite low in relation with the allowable limits, they are higher than the average of Turkey. Indoor and soil gas (222)Rn concentration distribution maps were prepared seperately and these maps were applied onto the surface geological map. In this way, both surveys were correlated with the each other and they were interpreted in comparison with the answers of questionnaire and the geological setting of the Sivas centrum and the vicinity.

Preliminary seismic microzonation of Sivas city (Turkey) using microtremor and refraction microtremor (ReMi) measurements

Sivas city, located in the inner east part of Anatolia (Turkey), is far from seismic sources. However, the city is under risk owing to strong earthquakes occurring around the area, and different soil conditions that can produce variation in the ground motion amplification. Microzonation of cities provides a basis for site-specific hazard analysis in urban settlements. In particular, seismic microzonation can be achieved by means of detailed seismic assessment of the area, including earthquake recordings and geological studies. In this paper, we propose a preliminary microzonation map for the city of Sivas, based on the variation in the dominant periods of the sediments covering the area. The periods are retrieved from microtremor measurements conducted at 114 sites, using the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio technique. The results of microtremor analysis were compared with those obtained from refraction microtremor measurements at two profiles crossing the studied area. According to the classification of dominant periods, Sivas area can be divided into four zones, probably prone to different levels of seismic hazard. However, specific studies including analysis of weak earthquakes are required in the future to validate our microzonation map.

Geophysical investigations at Agadere Cemetery, Gallipoli Peninsular, NW Turkey

Historical cemeteries are challenging targets for geophysical prospection but some non-destructive imaging techniques may be successful for mapping buried cemeteries if applied appropriately. Ground-Penetrating-Radar (GPR) has generally been considered to be the only geophysical method for determining cemeteries; however, Electrical-Resistivity-Tomography (ERT) and Magnetic-Imaging (MI), may determine geophysical traces of such cemeteries. Thus, as a first attempt at applying geophysical methods in the cemetery area of the Gallipoli Peninsula, these techniques were used to explore the buried graves at Agadere Cemetery. In this study, measured apparent resistivity data were processed using a two-dimensional (2D) tomographic inversion scheme. Resultant resistivity depth slices and volumetric resistivity images clearly showed the anomaly zone, which may be attributed to anthropogenic burials. Additionally, three-dimensional (3D) visualization of GPR results indicated some anomalies, much like the resistivity anomalies in terms of location. MI data were processed using linear transformations and an analytic signal image map presented anomaly zones located in some parts of the area, which are in agreement with those obtained by ERT and GPR surveys. Results derived from data processing techniques showed that these methods are suitable for bordering the locations of other buried historical graves in areas that have the same geological environment in the Peninsula.

Two-phased evolution of the Suşehri Basin on the North Anatolian Fault Zone, Turkey

This study has aimed to evaluate the current tectonic structure of the Suşehri Basin located on the eastern part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ), one of the most important active faults in Turkey. The work extends earlier investigations of offset and seismicity on the NAFZ and tests a range of evolutionary models. In this study, buried faults have been determined from Ground penetrating radar and magnetic anomalies and possible discontinuities identified by interpolating these data in a region between Gölova and Suşehri. The discontinuities are shown to be linked to negative flower structures formed within the strike-slip fault zone. Quickbird satellite images have been used to map faults and produce kinematic analyses which show that the active stress regime is dominantly strike-slip. However, normal faults and oblique-slip faults are also observed in the basin together with strike-slip faults and the stress regime creating the strike-slip faults is shown to have formed under NW-SE directed transtension. In addition, oblique faults formed under an extensional regime with NNE-SSW direction also occur in the Suşehri Basin as subsets formed under the constraining strike-slip regime. We conclude that the Suşehri Basin started to grow as a fault wedge basin following which it transformed into a pull-apart basin by a south splay on the NAFZ so it is now dominantly a transtensional pull-apart feature.

Statistical analysis of geomagnetic field variations during the partial solar eclipse on 2011 January 4 in Turkey

Some geophysical parameters, such as those related to gravitation and the geomagnetic field, could change during solar eclipses. In order to observe geomagnetic fluctuations, geomagnetic measurements were carried out in a limited time frame during the partial solar eclipse that occurred on 2011 January 4 and was observed in Canakkale and Ankara, Turkey. Additionally, records of the geomagnetic field spanning 24 hours, obtained from another observatory (in Iznik, Turkey), were also analyzed to check for any peculiar variations. In the data processing stage, a polynomial fit, following the application of a running average routine, was applied to the geomagnetic field data sets. Geomagnetic field data sets indicated there was a characteristic decrease at the beginning of the solar eclipse and this decrease can be well-correlated with previous geomagnetic field measurements that were taken during the total solar eclipse that was observed in Turkey on 2006 March 29. The behavior of the geomagnetic field is also consistent with previous observations in the literature. As a result of these analyses, it can be suggested that eclipses can cause a shielding effect on the geomagnetic field of the Earth.