What is the name of the fault line expected to produce a major earthquake near Istanbul?

The fault line expected to produce a major earthquake near Istanbul is the North Anatolian Fault. This major right-lateral strike-slip fault runs across northern Turkey for roughly 1,200 to 1,500 kilometres, forming the boundary between the Anatolian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Near Istanbul, the fault continues beneath the Sea of Marmara. A section south of the city is considered a seismic gap because it has not ruptured in a major earthquake in modern times. Scientists therefore consider the Marmara region capable of producing a powerful earthquake that could seriously affect Istanbul, one of Turkey’s largest and most densely populated cities.

The fault has generated a notable sequence of large earthquakes that migrated westward across northern Turkey during the twentieth century. The 1999 İzmit earthquake, with a magnitude of about 7.4, killed at least 17,000 people and ruptured a nearby section of the fault. The East Anatolian Fault is another important Turkish fault, but it is associated mainly with southeastern Turkey. The Dead Sea Fault and San Andreas Fault are in different regions.