In Turkey, which was hit by the massive earthquake, the extent of the damage is still difficult to estimate even days after the disaster. One detail, however, shows just how powerful the tectonic plate’s movement was: the highway in the area shifted by up to three meters.
Turkish scientists have now investigated the exact course of events. “We can say that the earthquake moved along the Gölbasi-Turkoglu line,” geologist Hasan Sözbilir told TV channel Veryansin. A large part of the houses along and near this zone had been destroyed.
Obvious “surface break”
A closer look by the scientists around Sözbilir shows the strength of the earthquake. The highway near the village of Tevekkelli has shifted three meters, they report. This is a clear “surface break”.
The current earthquake occurred in a danger zone that has remained relatively quiet for the past 100 years. Here two continental plates meet: the Arabian and the Anatolian plates. Both move sideways past each other at a rate of about 1.4 centimeters per year. The plates keep getting stuck. When the pent-up energy is released, earthquakes occur.
The tension slowly built up
According to a broadcast by the German Research Center for Geosciences, it was only a “question of time” that such a severe earthquake would hit the region. The energy released was enormous – about 250 times the strength of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake in central Italy that killed nearly 300 people.
The consequences of the massive tremors are well known: more than 11,200 deaths have now been confirmed in Turkey and Syria in what is probably Turkey’s most serious catastrophe of this kind since the 1999 Gölcük earthquake; at least 52,000 people were injured.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
