Seismicity Patterns in Some Mediterranean Zones After the 1939 Anatolian Earthquake: Insights on Seismic Risk and the Tectonic Setting

An attempt is made at recognizing the main effects of the strong 1939 earthquake in the Easternmost Anatolian Fault on the seismic activity in key Mediterranean tectonic zones. The major earthquake trends since 1800 indicate that, in the decades following 1939, both the number and intensity of significant earthquakes increased in the central and western NAF, the western Anatolia, the Crete–Rhodes Arc, the Peloponnesus, Sicily, and even the Tell zones. In contrast, seismicity experienced a sharp decline in the Serbo- Macedonian, Epirus-Albanides, and Calabria zones. These findings provide additional constraints on the geodynamic and tectonic framework and on the role played by postseismic relaxation in the Mediterranean region.