Turkish authorities say some 13.5 million people have been affected in an area spanning 280 miles
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The massive earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and northwest Syria on February 6, 2023 caused catastrophic damage and loss of life. With magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5, these were some of the strongest quakes to impact the region in over 200 years. To fully grasp the scale and location of the destruction, it’s important to examine where exactly these earthquakes took place on a map.
The Initial 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake
The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.8, struck southeastern Turkey close to the city of Gaziantep at 4:17am local time on February 6. The epicenter was located about 33 km (20 miles) from Gaziantep and about 90 km (60 miles) from the Syria-Turkey border.
This powerful quake ruptured a fault line extending approximately 100 km (60 miles) through the region. The tremors were felt as far away as Greenland. Major cities in close proximity to the epicenter that sustained severe damage include Kahramanmaraş, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Adana, and Malatya.
The Second 7.5 Magnitude Earthquake
Mere hours later, at 1 24pm local time, an extremely rare aftershock with a magnitude of 75 struck the region This was centered around 60 km (40 miles) north of the initial quake’s epicenter, close to the city of Ekinozu.
Two massive earthquakes of this size occurring within such a short time frame is highly unusual This aftershock compounded the devastation, collapsing many structures that were already damaged and leading to additional casualties
Mapping the Epicenters
Maps depicting the epicenters of the two massive quakes in relation to cities and major fault lines help illustrate the concentration of damage.
The first epicenter was situated near Gaziantep, close to the East Anatolian Fault. Gaziantep, a city of over 2 million residents, experienced widespread building collapses and loss of life.
The second epicenter was located closer to the Karliova Triple Junction seismic zone. Major population centers impacted by this aftershock included Bingöl, Elazığ, and Tunceli.
Visualizing the proximity of these epicenters to major cities and fault lines demonstrates why the earthquakes proved so catastrophic.
Intensity of Shaking
Maps can also illustrate the powerful intensity of shaking unleashed by the earthquakes. Surrounding the epicenters were zones of “severe” and “strong” shaking measuring VII to X on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale.
In these areas closest to the quakes, most buildings were destroyed. The shaking extended for hundreds of miles, leading to building collapses and damage throughout the region.
Powerful aftershocks above magnitude 5 continued to impact the area in the days following the main earthquakes, further hampering recovery efforts. Over 6,000 aftershocks were recorded by February 10.
Impact Across Borders
The earthquakes devastated areas in both southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria. Mapping the epicenters clearly depicts how the destruction crossed national borders.
Major Syrian cities impacted included Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Idlib, and Harem. The combined challenges of war, economic crisis, refugee displacement, and now catastrophic earthquakes have profoundly affected Syria.
Neighboring countries like Lebanon, Iraq, and Israel also experienced strong shaking and damage, emphasizing the far-reaching impacts of these massive quakes.
Visualizing the Scale
Examining the precise epicenters in relation to tectonic fault lines, borders, and major population centers provides critical perspective on the true scale and scope of the destruction.
Interactive maps make it possible to zoom in on specific cities and compare before and after satellite images of the damage. Seeing these stark visuals conveys the widespread devastation in a way that statistics alone cannot.
As rescue and recovery efforts continue, the ability to accurately visualize the location and scale of the damage will remain essential. Mapping the Turkey-Syria earthquakes illustrates both the immense challenges facing the affected regions and the vital need for international aid.
1/ 4Which parts of Turkey were hit by earthquakes?
AFP via Getty s
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Another earthquake rocked Turkey on Tuesday morning after two devastating tremors the day before killed thousands of people.
It struck north of the city of Adiyama at around 11.30am, just over 24 hours after a 7.8 magnitude tremor wreaked havoc in the worst earthquake to hit the country in more than 20 years.
Dozens of smaller aftershocks followed the initial tremor, with the combined death toll in Turkey and neighbouring Syria topping 8,700.
Turkish authorities say some 13.5 million people have been affected in an area spanning roughly 280 miles from Adana in the west to Diyarbakir in the east, and 180 miles from Malatya in the north to Hatay in the south.
Syrian authorities have reported deaths as far south as Hama, some 60 miles from the epicentre.
Thousands of buildings were toppled, hospitals and schools wrecked and tens of thousands of people were injured or left homeless in a number of Turkish and Syrian cities.
The region sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. Some 18,000 were killed in similarly powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.
Overwhelmed rescuers struggled to save people trapped under the rubble on Tuesday, with despair mounting and the scale of the disaster hampering relief efforts.
Aid officials voiced particular concern about the situation in Syria, already afflicted by a humanitarian crisis after nearly 12 years of civil war.
The affected area in Syria is divided between government-controlled territory and the country’s last opposition-held enclave, which is surrounded by Russian-backed government forces. Turkey is home to millions of refugees from the Syrian civil war.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has declared a disaster zone in 10 provinces, imposing a state of emergency in the region for three months.
In the Turkish city of Antakya near the Syrian border, where 10-storey buildings crumbled onto the streets, rescue work is being conducted on one out of dozens of mounds of rubble.
The temperature was close to freezing as the rain came down and there was no electricity or fuel in the city. Families slept in cars lined up in the streets after their homes were destroyed.
One woman called Ayla, standing by a pile of rubble where an eight-storey building once stood, said she had driven to Hatay on Monday in search of her mother.
“There have been no survivors yet,” she said. “A street dog came and barked at a certain point for long, I feared it was for my mother. But it was someone else. I turned on the lights of the car to help the rescue team. They took out only two bodies so far, no survivors.”
In Kahramanmaras, north of Antakya, families gathered around fires and wrapped themselves in blankets to stay warm.
“We barely made it out of the house,” said Neset Guler, huddling with his four children. “Our situation is a disaster. We are hungry, we are thirsty. It’s miserable.”
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said nearly 8,000 people have been rescued from 4,758 buildings destroyed on Monday
Around 13,700 search and rescue personnel were deployed and more than 41,000 tents, 100,000 beds and 300,000 blankets had been sent to the region.
The Science Behind the Massive Turkey-Syria Earthquakes | WSJ
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