Why Was the Turkey Earthquake So Deadly?

Over 17,000 people have now died in both countries, and this number is certain to rise because many people are still thought to be trapped under the debris of demolished structures. The worst earthquake to hit Turkey since 1939, according to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, was described as a "historic calamity" earlier this week.

Reasons for the deadly earthquake in Turkey

The reason behind the severity of the devastation in Turkey was recently explained by two USGS experts. USGS scientist David Wald wrote in a letter that it was painful to witness this tragedy play out, particularly when the local structures "were not constructed to withstand earthquakes."

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake might cause damage anywhere in the world, but many of the structures in this area are particularly vulnerable, Wald continued.

Early on February 6th, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake near the Syrian border shook south-central Turkey. Only 11 minutes later, the nation experienced an aftershock with a magnitude of 6.7. In addition, two other, equally powerful earthquakes that hit the nation in the following hours destroyed more buildings.

In the ten provinces of Turkey, the earthquake is said to have destroyed at least 6,000 buildings, including hospitals and other public facilities.

Another USGS scientist, Kishor Jaiswal, claimed that the epicentral area experienced severe shaking as a result of the earthquake. Then he explained why the structures were collapsing like decks of cards. The area affected by this earthquake contained more vulnerable buildings, such as older types of concrete frames that were not designed from seismic considerations to absorb this much ground motion, the scientist said. "Newer buildings in other parts of Turkey (like Istanbul) are designed with modern earthquake standards in mind, however," the scientist said.

The East Anatolian fault system, which is a triple junction where three tectonic plates—the Anatolia, Arabia, and Africa plates—touch and interact with each other, is where the earthquake occurred, according to a detailed note released by the American Geological Department after the disaster. Aftershocks are anticipated to continue in the area.

By Monday night, between the Mediterranean Sea, 60 miles to the southwest, and the city of Malatya, 200 kilometres to the northeast, there had been about 30 aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or greater reported. According to the geological department, there have only been three earthquakes in this area with a magnitude of 6 or above since 1970, with the greatest being 6.7 on January 24, 2020.