Unraveling Holocene surface-faulting history of the Çay segment, Sultandağı Fault (SSW Türkiye): linking paleoseismic evidence to segment-scale seismic behavior

Abstract The ~ 115 km long Sultandağı Fault forms the southern boundary of the Quaternary Afyon–Akşehir Graben in western Türkiye and represents a major active normal fault within the regional extensional regime. The Mw 6.5 Çay earthquake of 3 February 2002 produced surface rupture along its central segment, confirming its seismogenic capacity. This study presents the first detailed paleoseismological investigation of the Çay segment based on two trenches (Eskiköprü and Maltepe) excavated across