Geomorphology, Geological Structure, Active Tectonics, and Basin Formation in the Aegean Sea

This chapter aims to provide a short, still comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on the bathymetry and geomorphology of the seafloor of Aegean Sea, the seismicity and the kinematics, the tectonic network and active offshore faulting, the Plio-Quaternary and active sedimentary basins. Integrated analysis of the bathymetric, morphological, seismological, kinematic, marine geological-geophysical, and sedimentological information provides the ground for a better understanding of the geological processes that controlled the evolution and led to the formation of the present morphological and geological structure of the Aegean Sea. However, most of the Aegean seafloor is either not surveyed at all or not sufficiently surveyed. Therefore, the hypotheses and thoughts presented hereafter should be considered rather as challenges or working hypotheses for future research.