Due to plate motions, tidal effects of the Moon and the Sun, atmosphe ric, hydrological, ocean loading and local geological processes, and due to the rotation of the Earth, all points on the Earth's crust are sub ject to deformation. Global plate motion models, based on the ocean floor spreading rates, transform fault azimuths, and earthquake slip vectors, describe average plate motions for a time period of the past few million years. Therefore, the investigation of present-day tectonic activities by global plate motion models in a small area with complex movements cannot supply satisfactory...