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Two massive earthquakes devastated Turkey, killing about 4,300 people and injuring or displacing an unknown number.
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The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria is likely to be one of the deadliest this decade. Why was the quake so bad? https://t.co/vf37HkYfno pic.twitter.com/cwSRiaT42n
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 7, 2023
The first quake, at Gaziantep near the Syrian border, registered 7.8 on the Richter scale and was felt as far away as the United Kingdom. The second happened nine hours later, on what looks to be an intersecting fault, and measured 7.5 on the Richter scale.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Two earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.7 in magnitude brought widespread destruction to parts of Turkey and Syria, as international aid begins to pour in amid a search and rescue effort https://t.co/EcNCDVVQTx pic.twitter.com/OHlQaxXAPf
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2023
According to the Turkish authorities, more than 5,600 structures have fallen, adding to the catastrophe. Many contemporary structures have collapsed due to "pancake mode" structural failure.
What caused this to occur? Is the problem with the structures or the earthquake's immense magnitude and violence?
Search and rescue work continues in southern Türkiye to save those caught in heavy earthquakes pic.twitter.com/2U5OthNJHa
— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) February 6, 2023
Turkey is located in a seismically active zone where three tectonic plates regularly grind against one another under the Earth's surface. The region's earthquake history dates back at least 2,000 years, to a quake in 17 CE that destroyed a dozen cities.
Yuksel Akalan was on the scene of the earthquake in Turkey when a shockwave struck, covering people and the street in dust. The reporter is seen evacuating the area and assisting a young girl https://t.co/hQPpWpvuFp pic.twitter.com/ORFj2Qiuub
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2023
The East Anatolian Fault zone, which housed these earthquakes, is located at the boundary of the Arabian and Anatolian tectonic plates, which move past each other at a rate of 6 to 10mm each year. Intermittent earthquakes, which have occurred for millions of years, relieve the elastic strain that has accumulated in this plate border zone. As a result, the latest earthquakes come as no surprise.
A dramatic video shows a building collapse in Turkey’s Sanliurfa province after a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck central Turkey and northwest Syria https://t.co/fPQBcsA5Vc pic.twitter.com/pMWvPBEn54
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2023
Despite the region's well-known seismic risk, it has a lot of sensitive infrastructure.
Over the last 2,000 years, we've learned a lot about creating structures that can resist even the most powerful earthquakes. However, numerous variables impact building construction techniques in this region and others throughout the world.
Many of the fallen structures appear to have been constructed of concrete with insufficient seismic bracing. Seismic construction rules in this location advise that these structures should be able to withstand significant earthquakes (where the ground accelerates by 30% to 40% of normal gravity) without completely failing.
(VIDEO) More than 1000 people have been killed in Syria after a series of powerful earthquakes centered in southeastern Türkiye jolted the wider region early on Monday pic.twitter.com/cC8hyd5EdH
— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) February 6, 2023
The 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes appear to have generated shaking in the 20 to 50% gravity range. As a result, with shaking intensities lower than the "design code," a part of these structures failed.
In Turkey and worldwide, there are well-known issues with guaranteeing safe building construction and conformance to seismic building rules. Similar building collapses have occurred in Turkey in previous earthquakes.
In 1999, a massive earthquake in Izmit killed 17,000 people and destroyed up to 20,000 structures.
Following the 2011 earthquake, Turkey's then-prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, blamed substandard building for the high death toll, stating, "Municipalities, builders, and supervisors should now recognise that their incompetence equates to murder."
Even though Turkish officials are aware that many structures are dangerous in earthquakes, solving the problem remains tough. Many of the buildings have already been constructed, and seismic retrofitting may be costly or not prioritised in comparison to other socioeconomic concerns.
Drone captures search and rescue works in Syria after series of powerful earthquakes centered in Türkiye jolted the wider region early on Monday https://t.co/1qdBSmP6t4 pic.twitter.com/bvfZucm9yX
— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) February 6, 2023
However, rebuilding after the quake may provide an opportunity to do it more safely. Turkey introduced new standards in 2019 to guarantee that structures are better fitted to withstand earthquakes.
While the new restrictions are laudable, it is unclear if they will result in meaningful improvements in construction quality.
Both earthquakes are believed to have generated a slew of environmental consequences, including ruptured ground surfaces, liquefied soil, and landslides, in addition to significant loss of life and infrastructure damage. Because these consequences may make many locations dangerous to rebuild on, restoration efforts should involve considerations about what may be put where to reduce future dangers.
For the time being, aftershocks continue to batter the region, and search and rescue activities are ongoing. After the dust settles, rehabilitation will begin — but will we see better structures that can withstand the next quake, or will we see more of the same?
