We have a professor from Istanbul Technical University on sabatical (sort of) visiting HW in the department here, staying with us, and working with me. She is focused on the stratigraphy of the deep basin along the main activae strand of the North Anatolian fault in Marmara Sea. This basin is just offshore of Istanbul.

Yesterday she heard that there was a M4.4 earthquake 2 basins west, located right beneath one of the sea floor traces of the fault. It is not on the USGS/NEIC site that I use, but is at the link. Also, a map is at:

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Images/ALERT/2010/10/03/INFOy5045.zoom.jpg

Or just go to maps at the link. The bathymetry shown is probably about a 1 or 2 km resolution satellite bathymetry; the ENE-WSW lineament through the epicenter is an artifact. We are using a 20 m grid of French multibeam bathymetry.

The professor seemed concerned about whether the 4.4 would signal a large quake coming. Is suggested that in California only a small percent of quakes are followed by something larger in same location, and many large quakes do not have foreshocks.

There have not been many posts on earthquakes or geology lately, so I thought I would go ahead and post on this minor quake.
Chris

• M4.4 Marmara Sea