Giresun is having a rugged apppearance in terms of landforms and mountains, valleys and steep coasts occupy a large place. Giresun has a coastal line of quite narrow and low plains along the Black Sea Coast and Giresun Mountains which spans between Kelkit Creek in the south forms the landforms. The average height of those mountains rising in parallel to the coast is 2,000 m at 50-60 km inland from the coast. 

The most important altitudes of Giresun Mountains going over 3,000 meters in some places are as follows: Abdal Musa Hill (3,331m), Cankurtaran Hill (3,278 m), GâvurMountain Hill (3,067 m), Küçükkor Hill (3,044 m), Karataş Hill on the Karagöl Mountain (3,107 m) and Kırkkızlar Hill (3,040 m). 

Mountains surrounding the south of Giresun creates plains in certain places by descending toward to north and to south.There are so many plateau above those plains at 1,750-2,200 meters elevations.The main plains on the Giresun Mountain are Kümbet, Kulakkaya, Bektaş, Tamdere, Karagöl, Eğribel, Kazıkbeli, Çakrak, Paşakonağı, Karaovacık and Sisdağı plains. 

In many parts of Giresun province, especially in the northern part, the Upper-Cretaceous volcanic facies lands occupy a very wide area. There are copper mines aorund Espiye, Yağlıdere, Görele. Meanwhile, granite, granodiorite, quartz diorite bodies and veins are found in highlands at the south of Dereli and Kovanlık Districts and around Doğankent.These are seen on the surface in some places in the north of Şebinkarahisar. Coasts of the Giresun Province are in cliff coasts forms in many places. Sandy beaches form between this steep and high coasts. Sea bottom in front of the coasts is not wide. The sea deepens very suddenly in many places. 

Giresun Mountains are serpentine part of Alpine mountain formation in Turkey and part of the Mesozoic-Tertiary old mountain chains. During the formation of the Giresun Mountains and in the later period, curling, refractions and thrust have occurred; thick volcanic remains formed due to volcanic events from time to time. In the meantime, large fractures have been occurred; particularly seismic zone in the south of the province has emerged as an area of typical active fault. However, other parts of the province are in the third degree seismic zone where harmless earthquakes occurred. . 

## 1.3.3 Seismicity 

Giresun Province is in the 1$^{st}$, 2$^{nd}$, 3$^{rd}$ and 4$^{th}$ degree earthquake zones. Giresun city center is under the influence of the 4$^{th}$ degree earthquake zone. 

