WHY TURKEY IS PRONE TO CATASTROPHIC EARTHQUAKES?

Turkey and Syria were ravaged by three earthquakes measuring 7.8, 7.6, and 6.0 on the Richter scale, while Cyprus (456 km), Lebanon (874 km), Israel (1,381 km), and Egypt were all affected (1,411 km). The first earthquake, which had its epicenter close to the city of Gaziantep in south-central Turkey and has a population of more than two million, was first felt on February 6 at around 4 a.m. Numerous Syrian refugees who left their country's blazing civil conflict after 2011 are also included in this group. Turkish authorities report that there were at least 40 aftershocks, some of which had a magnitude of as high as 6.7. Nine hours later, the area was hit by two more earthquakes, this time with magnitudes of 7.6 and 6.0. According to authorities, at least 8,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria as a result of this earthquake, which is the largest to hit the area in more than 100 years.

Turkey's tectonic location contributes to its earthquake susceptibility. About 15 large slabs, or tectonic plates, make up the Earth's topmost layer. A network of faults—fractures between two blocks of rock—defines the boundaries between these plates. According to the British Archaeological Survey, earthquakes can be brought on by any abrupt movement along these faults.

The Anatolian tectonic plate, wedged between the Eurasian and African continents, is where Turkey is situated. Movement is further hampered on the north side by the small Arabian plate. One fault line is recognized as being "especially catastrophic" and is the North Anatolian fault (NAF) line, which is where the tectonic plates of Anatolia and Eurasia meet. From the south of Istanbul to northeastern Turkey, the NAF is one of the best-understood fault systems in the world and has in the past been the source of devastating earthquakes. In the provinces of Gölcük and Düzce, it produced two earthquakes in 1999, each measuring 7.4 and 7.0 in magnitude. Over 45,000 people were hurt, and nearly 18,000 people perished. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the eastern city of Van in 2011 once more claimed the lives of around 500 people.

The tectonic boundary between the Anatolian Plate and the Arabian Plate, which is advancing northward, is the East Anatolian fault line. It extends 650 kilometers into the Mediterranean from eastern Turkey. Additionally, the Aegean Sea Plate, which is submerged beneath southern Greece and western Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, contributes to the region's seismic activity.

Nearly 95% of the country's land mass is thought to be earthquake-prone, and roughly a third of it, including the East Anatolian region and the areas surrounding the major cities of Istanbul and Izmir, is thought to be at particularly high danger.