The disaster that hit the South-Eastern part of Turkey struck the whole world. Disasters of this kind are very rare. We decided to turn to the history of earthquakes in Turkey and write about where the seismically dangerous zones are located.
On February 6, 2023, a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.8 hit Turkey. The strongest tremors were felt in the province of Kahramanmarash in southeastern Turkey on the border with Syria. The disaster led to the death of an unprecedented number of people – according to inconclusive data, almost 14 thousand people became victims of the disaster. More than 60 thousand residents were injured. In neighboring Syria, the consequences of the disaster are not so serious, but there are also victims and destruction.
Biggest earthquake in recent times
The largest earthquake in terms of the number of deaths since the beginning of the 20th century occurred in Turkey on December 26, 1939 in the province of Erzincan. The region is located in Eastern Anatolia, about 140 km from the Black Sea.
The magnitude of the tremor then amounted to 7.9. The situation was aggravated by the fact that almost immediately after the disaster, frosts hit the region. People who lost their homes had nowhere to hide from the cold. Then, under the rubble and from frostbite, 32.9 thousand people died. About 100 thousand inhabitants were injured. As a result of the disaster, more than 116 thousand buildings were destroyed.
Another major disaster occurred in August 1999 in Izmit, 90 km from Istanbul. The magnitude of the shocks then amounted to 7.6 on the Richter scale. According to official data, 17.2 thousand people died, but there are might be more victims.
Earthquakes in XXI
The catastrophe that occurred on February 6, 2023 is the largest in Turkey in the 21st century. Earthquakes have happened before, but the number of victims there was disproportionately lower.
In May 2003, an earthquake in Bingol in Southeast Turkey claimed the lives of 117 people, the magnitude of the tremors then amounted to 6.4 points.
In October 2011, the epicenter fell on the city of Van, and the magnitude of the earthquake reached 7.1. 604 people died, more than 600 thousand were left homeless.
In February 2020, an earthquake of magnitude 7 occurred in the Aegean Sea. Then there was severe destruction in the province of Izmir, where about 20 houses collapsed. Under the rubble, 119 people died, more than a thousand were injured.
Seismically hazardous zones
Three geological fault lines pass through the territory of Turkey: these are the North Anatolian, East Anatolian and West Anatolian. The closer to the fault zone, the greater the degree of seismic hazard.
Turkish coast of the Mediterranean Sea is situated quite far from the tectonic faults. Antalya, Mersin and Alanya are considered among the safest places in Turkey.
