LONDON: The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday is likely one of the deadliest this decade, seismologists said, with a rupture more than 100km (62 miles) between the Anatolian and Arabian plates.
Turkey-Syria earthquake: follow updates in real time
Here’s what scientists have said happened beneath the earth’s surface, and what to expect next:Where did the earthquake originate?The epicenter was about 26 km east of the Turkish city of Nurdagi at a depth of about 18 km on the East Anatolian Fault. The quake radiated to the northeast, wreaking havoc in central Turkey and Syria.
7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes Turkey, strong aftershocks were also felt
During the 20th century, the East Anatolian Fault produced little major seismic activity. “If we were just going by the (big) earthquakes that have been recorded by seismometers, it would look more or less empty,” said Roger Musson, an honorary research fellow at the British Geological Survey.
Only three earthquakes have registered above 6.0 on the Richter scale since 1970 in the area, according to the US Geological Survey. But in 1822 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the region, killing an estimated 20,000 people.
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A powerful earthquake hits Turkey and Syria
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Earthquakes hit Syria and Turkey
Three terrible earthquakes and over a dozen aftershocks hit Turkey and Syria in the space of 24 hours, killing thousands. The strongest earthquake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, the most intense earthquake recorded in Turkey in over 80 years.
Buildings collapsed after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit its epicenter in neighboring Turkey, state media and a medical source said.
Rescuers rushed to search for survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings in the pouring winter rain.
AFP correspondents in northern Syria said terrified residents fled their homes after the earthquake struck before dawn near the Turkish city of Gaziantep.
The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 4:17 am at a depth of 17.9 km near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, reports the BBC.
Addressing reporters, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the 10 cities of Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis were affected.
Casualties were reported in the regions of Aleppo, Hama, Tartus and Latakia, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
The agency quoted Deputy Health Minister Ahmad Damiriyeh as saying contingency plans were implemented in the affected areas and private hospitals were ordered to receive all injured cases, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The earthquake had the same magnitude as the one that killed about 30,000 people in December 1939 in northeastern Turkey, Stephen Hicks, a researcher in seismology at Imperial College London, wrote on Twitter.< br />
The Ministry of Transport previously announced the suspension of trains on all railways as a precaution, pending inspection of the bridges and tracks of the railway network.
Authorities in the two neighboring nations fear a rising death toll as many buildings have collapsed and rescue teams have been deployed to search for survivors under huge piles of rubble.
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The initial quake was followed by another measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale at 4:26 a.m., Xinhua news agency said, citing the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
“No official numbers yet…but dozens dead and hundreds injured, many trapped under rubble,” the force, known as the White Helmets, said in a message on Twitter.
Many buildings in the affected areas had already suffered damage in fighting during the nearly 12-year Syrian civil war.
Turkey, a hotbed of seismic activity, sits on the Anatolian Plate, which borders two major fault lines as it grinds northeast against Eurasia.
Israel on Monday said it was ready to help Turkey after a major earthquake.
The president of war-torn Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has sent a message of support to Turkey to offer assistance.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says he has told Turkish officials that the United States is ready to provide assistance to help with earthquake relief.
Expressing concern and shock over the massive earthquake that hit Turkey, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that “140 million people in India are with the earthquake victims in Turkey.”
How bad was this earthquake?
On average, there are fewer than 20 magnitude 7.0 earthquakes a year, making Monday’s event severe.
Compared to the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit central Italy in 2016 and killed about 300 people, the Turkey-Syria earthquake released 250 times more energy, according to Joanna Faure Walker, head of the University College London Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction.
Powerful earthquakes rock Turkey and Syria, relief efforts continue
Only two of the deadliest earthquakes from 2013 to 2022 were of the same magnitude as Monday’s quake.
Why was it so bad?
The East Anatolian Fault is a strike-slip fault.
In those, slabs of solid rock push against each other across a vertical fault line, building up stress until one finally slides in a horizontal motion, releasing a huge amount of tension that can trigger an earthquake.
The San Andreas Fault in California is perhaps the most famous fault in the world, with scientists warning that a catastrophic earthquake is long overdue.
The initial rupture of the Turkey-Syria earthquake started at a relatively shallow depth. “The shaking at the ground surface will have been more severe than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude at the source,” said David Rothery, a planetary geoscientist at the Open University in Great Britain.
What kind of aftershocks can you expect?
Eleven minutes after the initial quake, the region was hit by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck hours later, followed by another 6.0 spasm in the afternoon.
The third major earthquake measuring 6.0 hit Turkey
“What we’re seeing now is activity spreading to nearby faults,” Musson said. “We expect the seismicity to continue for a while.”
After the deadly event of 1822, the aftershocks continued into the following year.
What could be the final death toll?
Earthquakes of similar magnitude in populated areas have killed thousands. The 7.8 magnitude Nepal earthquake in 2015 claimed nearly 9,000 lives.
“It’s not going to go well,” Musson said. “It will be in the thousands and it could be in the tens of thousands.”
