Dynamic sub-surface characteristic and the active faults of the Genc District locating over the Bingol Seismic Gap of the East Anatolian Fault Zone, Eastern Turkey

The Genc District is located on the Bingol Seismic Gap (BSG) of the Eastern Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ) with its similar to 34.000 residents. The Karliova Triple Junction, where the EAFZ, the North Anatolian Fault Zone, and the Varto Fault Zone meet, is only 80 km NE of the Genc District. To make an earthquake disaster damage prediction of the Genc District, carrying a high risk of disaster, we have (1) prepared a new geological map, and (2) conducted a single-station microtremor survey. We defined that three SW-NE trending active faults of the sinistral Genc Fault Zone are cutting through the District. We have obtained dominant period (T) as < 0.2 s, the amplification factor (A) between 8 and 10, the average shear wave velocity for the first 30 m (Vs(30)) as < 300 m/s, and the seismic vulnerability index (Kg) as > 20, in the central part of the Genc District. We have also prepared damage prediction maps for three bedrock acceleration values (0.25, 0.50, 0.75 g). Our earthquake damage prediction scenarios evidenced that as the bedrock acceleration values increase, the area of soil plastic behavior expands linearly. Here we report that if the average expected peak ground acceleration value (0.55-0.625 g) is exceeded during an earthquake, significant damage would be inevitable for the central part of the Genc District where most of the schools, mosques, public buildings, and hospitals are settled-down.