Active tectonics and seismicity of the Aegean Region with special emphasis on the Samos earthquake struck on 30 October 2020. Preface

The earthquake of Mw 6.9 magnitude that occurred on the 30th of October, 2020 in Kuşadası Bay on a fault along the northern coast of Samos Island is among the few major earthquakes that have affected this sector of the Aegean Region during the last century. Unfortunately, it has caused great loss of lives and damages in residential areas of the Samos Island and as far as in the city of İzmir. On the other hand, many devastating earthquakes were recorded in both countries facing the Aegean Sea, causing loss of life and property in instrumental and historical periods. This is well documented by a huge literature with countless papers based on specific and regional studies carried out on several seismogenic sources and associated earthquakes occurring in the broader Aegean Region between the Hellenic Arc and the North Anatolian Fault. From a geological and geodynamic point of view, this area represents a unique natural laboratory for investigating seismotectonics, making it of global scientific interest due to its intense seismic activity.