In the southeast of Turkey, close to the Syrian border, a very large earthquake happened. Seismometer data, which describes the intensity of ground shaking brought on by earthquake waves, indicate that this event, which occurred early on February 6, registered a magnitude of 7.8 on the magnitude scale. Seismic waves were detected by sensors all throughout the world, even as far away as the UK
This was a very significant one.
For those residing nearby, the tremor brought on by energy spreading outward from the origin or epicenter has already had disastrous effects. There have been numerous building collapses, at least 2,000 fatalities are believed to have occurred in the two countries, and there have been reports of gas pipeline disruption that caused fires.
Around noon, a second extremely powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 also struck central Turkey.
Why did this occur here?
Due to its location near the confluence of the African, Arabian, and Anatolian tectonic plates—three of the seismic plates that make up the Earth’s crust—this region of Turkey is vulnerable to earthquakes. Arabia is advancing towards Europe from the north, pushing the Anatolian plate—on which Turkey rests—westward.
Pressure on fault zones at the boundary of the tectonic plates increases as a result of movement of tectonic plates. Earthquakes and ground trembling are brought on by the abrupt release of this pressure.
The East Anatolian fault or the Dead Sea Transform fault, two of the main faults that define the boundary between the Anatolian and Arabian plates, are likely the site of the most recent earthquake. Both of them are “strike-slip faults,” which allow for some plate motion when they pass one another.
Substantially bigger earthquakes than in the past
The continual movement of the tectonic plates in this region results in numerous earthquakes every year, but the magnitude and devastation of today’s earthquake are extremely high. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), since 1970, only three earthquakes of a size larger than 6 have occurred within 250 kilometres of this site. The earthquake that occurred on February 6 had a magnitude of 7.8, which was substantially larger than earlier ones in the vicinity and released more than twice as much energy (magnitude 7.4).
What about the aftershocks?
As the bedrock realigns to the shifts in tension, there will be numerous aftershocks following big earthquakes. After the first incident, they can go on for days or even years. Three further earthquakes of greater than magnitude 6.0 occurred in the first twelve hours following the initial tremor in southeast Turkey. There have been hundreds of aftershocks with lesser magnitudes, the first of which was a 6.7 that occurred barely 11 minutes after the first earthquake.
The second earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.5, happened more to the north on the Sürgü Fault, a distinct but nearby fault system. Although it was most likely caused by the first earthquake and will produce a separate set of aftershocks, technically this earthquake was strong enough to be considered a separate quake in and of itself.
Although tremors are often far smaller than the first shock, they can nevertheless have devastating effects, further destroying already damaged infrastructure and impeding rescue attempts.
Conclusion
We can only hope that international aid reaches Turkey and Syria as soon as possible to assist with ongoing rescue attempts, among the ongoing aftershocks, as the aftermath of these huge tremors proceeds to be felt by the inhabitants living in this region.