 It is the easternmost of the three basins which run in direction EW in the sea, the other two being (from E to W) the central basin and the Tekirdağ basin.Its maximum depth amounts to 1,276 m.

The Çınarcık Basin is a transtensional basin which runs along the Princes' Islands segment of the northern branch of the North Anatolian Fault (NAF).However, in correspondence with the basin there is no evidence of a single strike-slip Fault, neither is visible a cross-basin fault or a pure strike-slip fault in correspondence of the northern margin; along the southern and northern edges seismic imaging shows many deep-penetrating faults.