Experts' assessment of Simav: This is an earthquake swarm

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Özburan from Kütahya Dumlupınar University announced that the seismic activity that began in Simav on April 21 is continuing and that 1,250 tremors have been recorded during this period. Özburan defined this situation as an "earthquake swarm" and stated that the tremors might be geothermal in origin.

Noting that a 4.5-magnitude earthquake occurred most recently on June 10, Özburan said that this earthquake was felt in many places. He reported that 8 earthquakes with a magnitude of over 4 have been recorded since April 21, with the largest being 4.6. Özburan emphasized that, unlike classic tectonic earthquakes, the main shock and aftershocks are not clearly distinguished here.

These earthquakes, which occurred in the region between the Simav Fault Zone, the Emet-Gediz Fault Zone, and the Naşa Fault Zone, have reached a total of 1,350 tremors since the beginning of the year. Özburan stated that this intense seismic activity could continue.

Özburan expressed that they believe the earthquakes in Simav could be geothermal in origin and that they are waiting for studies to be completed to reach a clearer conclusion on this matter. Stating that similar examples have occurred in America and Southern California, Özburan added that the seismic activity in the region does not appear on the current active fault map but occurs along the same alignment as the Naşa Fault Zone.

News Source: 12punto