Aykut Barka
Encyclopedia
Aykut Barka was a Turkish
earth scientist
specialized in earthquake
research. He is best known for his contributions to understanding the behaviour of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ), one of the most dangerous active faults
in the world.
district of Istanbul
in 1951. He received his PhD
degree in 1981 from the University of Bristol
, UK
under the supervision of Dr. P.L. Hancock with a thesis on "Seismotectonic Aspects of the North Anatolian Fault Zone".
He worked and studied geosciences in some top rated institutions around the world, including Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
, École Normale Supérieure
Paris
, MIT's Earth Resources Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, University of Bristol, UK and Geological Survey of Japan.
In 1997, Barka published a paper with Ross Stein and James H. Dieterich of USGS, titled "Progressive failure on the North Anatolian Fault
since 1939 by earthquake stress triggering", which showed the migration of big earthquakes and, not surprisingly, positive stress accumulation in the Marmara Region
. Only 2 years after this paper was published, a Magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit the Izmit area in Marmara Region
, killing more than 20,000 people.
Aykut Barka died on February 1, 2002 from injuries suffered in a car accident five weeks earlier. He left a wife and two young children.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
earth scientist
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
specialized in earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
research. He is best known for his contributions to understanding the behaviour of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ), one of the most dangerous active faults
Geologic fault
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, across which there has been significant displacement along the fractures as a result of earth movement. Large faults within the Earth's crust result from the action of tectonic forces...
in the world.
Biography
He was born in FatihFatih
Fatih is a municipality and district in Istanbul, Turkey that encompasses most of the peninsula coinciding with historic Constantinople. In 2009, the district of Eminönü, formerly a separate municipality located at the tip of the peninsula, was merged into Fatih...
district of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in 1951. He received his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree in 1981 from the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
under the supervision of Dr. P.L. Hancock with a thesis on "Seismotectonic Aspects of the North Anatolian Fault Zone".
He worked and studied geosciences in some top rated institutions around the world, including Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
The Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris is a French governmental, non-profit research and higher education establishment located in Paris, dedicated to the study of earth and planetary sciences by combining observations, laboratory analysis and construction of conceptual analogical and...
, École Normale Supérieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, MIT's Earth Resources Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, University of Bristol, UK and Geological Survey of Japan.
In 1997, Barka published a paper with Ross Stein and James H. Dieterich of USGS, titled "Progressive failure on the North Anatolian Fault
North Anatolian Fault
The North Anatolian Fault is a major active right lateral-moving strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia which runs along the transform boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Anatolian Plate. The fault extends westward from a junction with the East Anatolian Fault at the Karliova Triple...
since 1939 by earthquake stress triggering", which showed the migration of big earthquakes and, not surprisingly, positive stress accumulation in the Marmara Region
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
. Only 2 years after this paper was published, a Magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit the Izmit area in Marmara Region
Marmara Region
The Marmara Region , with a surface area of 67.000 km², is the smallest but most densely populated of the seven geographical regions of Turkey...
, killing more than 20,000 people.
Aykut Barka died on February 1, 2002 from injuries suffered in a car accident five weeks earlier. He left a wife and two young children.