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Turkey–Syria earthquake: what scientists know
Nature ^

Posted on 02/07/2023 2:44:39 PM PST by FarCenter

...

Most of Turkey sits on the Anatolian plate between two major faults: the North Anatolian Fault and the East Anatolian Fault. The tectonic plate that carries Arabia, including Syria, is moving northwards and colliding with the southern rim of Eurasia, which is squeezing Turkey out towards the west, says David Rothery, a geoscientist at the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK. “Turkey is moving west about 2 centimetres per year along the East Anatolian Fault,” he adds. “Half the length of this fault is lit up now with earthquakes.”

...

The epicentre of the main earthquake was 26 kilometres east of the city of Nurdaği in Turkey’s Gaziantep province, at a depth of 17.9 kilometres. The magnitude-7.5 event occurred around 4 kilometres southeast of Ekinözü in the Kahramanmaraş province.

Deaths in earthquakes are often caused by falling bricks and masonry. According to the US Geological Survey, many people in Turkey who were affected by the earthquake live in structures that are extremely likely to be damaged by shaking, with unreinforced brick masonry and low-rise concrete frames.

...

In 1999, a magnitude-7.4 earthquake hit 11 kilometres southeast of Izmit, Turkey, killing more than 17,000 people and leaving more than 250,000 homeless. After this tragedy, the Turkish government introduced new building codes and a compulsory earthquake insurance system. However, many of the buildings affected by this week’s quake were built before 2000, says Mustafa Erdik, a civil engineer at Boğaziçi University, Turkey.

Things are worse in Syria, where more than 11 years of conflict have made building standards impossible to enforce. The earthquake struck Syria’s northwestern regions, with buildings collapsing in Aleppo and Idlib. Some war-damaged buildings in Syria have been rebuilt using low-quality materials or “whatever materials are available”, says Rothery.

(Excerpt) Read more at nature.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Syria
KEYWORDS: earthquake; earthquakes; gaziantep; quake; quakes; syria; turkey

1 posted on 02/07/2023 2:44:39 PM PST by FarCenter
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To: FarCenter

Reminiscent of the Landers and Big Bear dual quakes in 1992 — but on a much larger scale.


2 posted on 02/07/2023 2:51:04 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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To: FarCenter

Obviously global warming.


3 posted on 02/07/2023 3:03:59 PM PST by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: FarCenter

So people who hate us are dying, boo hoo.


4 posted on 02/07/2023 3:05:09 PM PST by saturn
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To: saturn

Yes, it’s good these people are dying:

https://youtu.be/YLqb06Nb830

Brute.


5 posted on 02/07/2023 3:27:42 PM PST by Rural_Michigan
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To: Rural_Michigan

Abandoning a NATO ally in their time of need is real classy.


6 posted on 02/07/2023 3:58:15 PM PST by EQAndyBuzz (“Racist” is the new “Nazi”.)
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To: EQAndyBuzz

I think now we’re talking a death toll at least 100,000.

And we haven’t even heard from the areas near the epicenter. And Syria is probably even worse, and we haven’t heard much from there.

And with the cold weather there aren’t going to be many to rescue in a day or two.

This will have global ramifications.


7 posted on 02/07/2023 4:03:55 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: saturn

I hope you don’t consider yourself a Christian....


8 posted on 02/07/2023 4:11:00 PM PST by rottndog (What comes after America?)
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To: EQAndyBuzz

One would hope that Biden at least offered help with emergency services...


9 posted on 02/07/2023 4:13:31 PM PST by rottndog (What comes after America?)
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To: FarCenter

Lookner just showed a video of a building collapse during a search and rescue.

This is hell on Earth for those people. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.


10 posted on 02/07/2023 4:25:34 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: FarCenter

Two countries I have long wanted to see.


11 posted on 02/07/2023 5:17:41 PM PST by MarMema (Orange Putin Bad)
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To: saturn

Those children are sure deserving of this, right?

/s


12 posted on 02/07/2023 5:18:34 PM PST by MarMema (Orange Putin Bad)
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To: FarCenter
Deaths in earthquakes are often caused by falling bricks and masonry. According to the US Geological Survey, many people in Turkey who were affected by the earthquake live in structures that are extremely likely to be damaged by shaking, with unreinforced brick masonry and low-rise concrete frames.

Concrete is immensely strong for compression loads and cheap. Lateral stress from a earthquake will break it unless it is built on a steal girt with a lot of rebar in the concrete. ...

13 posted on 02/07/2023 6:46:32 PM PST by cpdiii (CANE CUTTER-DECKHAND-ROUGHNECK-OILFIELD CONSULTANT-GEOLOGIST-PILOT-PHARMACIST)
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To: cpdiii

I’m not familiar with the geology in this (Turkey, Syria) fault zone, but in the 1811-12 New Madrid Earthquake series, of similar magnitude, 10 ft. high ground waves were reputed to have occurred in the liquefied soil near the epicenter of at least one quake. What stands up to that...?

Granted that given the much smaller area of destruction in this quake (Turkey, Syria) the geology appears to be less, um, “efficient”.

In a MUCH smaller quake in 1968, some Ag Science guys my Dad knew were working in the very flat area north of Harrisburg, IL. They could see the ground waves coming across the miles of fields - from only a 5.4 magnitude quake.


14 posted on 02/08/2023 3:39:15 PM PST by Paul R. (You know your pullets are dumb if they don't recognize a half Whopper as food!)
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