In spite of many specific studies focussing on the Sea of Marmara segment of the North Anatolian Fault (NAF), its deformation and stress accumulation pattern remain difficult to understand. In part this is due to the complexity of the transform fault system which here combines a releasing and restraining bend. In this study, we use analogue modelling to reproduce and monitor the strain patterns across a releasing and restraining bend pair. We also compare the strain evolution with the evolution of topographic changes.

The experiments reveal how the master right-lateral strike-slip fault system and newly formed fault zones change their geometry as displacement accumulates across a releasing and restraining bend pair. We find that the master shear zone develops from a single to a multi-branch fault system, with different branches active and dominant at different times. Comparison with the tectonic setting of the Sea of Marmara suggests that the western portion of the basin may be characterized by a fault shortcut associated with both a compressional regime and uplift of the Ganos Mountain.