The powerful earthquake that took place in Turkey and Syria during the early hours of Monday February 6 and another that occurred nine hours later have been classified as “catastrophe” by seismologists.
So far both earthquakes – one of magnitude 7.8 and the other of 7.6 – have left a tragic toll of over 5,000 dead, 20,000 wounded and thousands missing.
However, experts warn, the danger has not yet passed and, due to the characteristics of the earthquake there could be further strong aftershocks.
Earthquake in Turkey and Syria – a great catastrophe
A particular combination of factors This explains the high number of dead and wounded and the serious damage caused by the earthquake which devastated several cities in both countries.
In this sense, at magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale, it must be added that the land was produced and in very densely populated areas.
Furthermore, precisely due to the characteristics of the phenomenon which was subsequently repeated in another area of the country, it is not known when they may arrive. new replicas but they may have one important intensitywhich represents a great risk to structures which still hold and pits the rescuers against the clock.
Earthquake in Turkey and Syria: what is “unleashing”
Due to its geographical location, Turkey is an area of high seismic activity. Most of the country falls on the Anatolian dishwhich is trapped between others that can exert pressure from various fronts and, therefore, cause large earthquakes.
The first earthquake on February 6 hit the Kahramanmaras Regionin southern Turkey, an area where the arabic dish and the Anatolian underplate, which makes it an area subject to this type of phenomena, they explain in abc.
What is happening? THE slabs of solid rock push against each other across a vertical fault line, they build up tension until one finally slips into a horizontal motion. Thus, they release a huge amount of energy, which is what can trigger an earthquake.
In this particular case, the main tremor it was continued by numerous replicasthe first just 11 minutes later and with a magnitude of 7.6.
Then, nine hours laterhighlights middle, alarms sounded before a second shock of intensity 7.5 in central Turkey, i.e. further north.
Experts call this phenomenon triggering. This is when one earthquake causes another or others to “trigger” to occur And they happen earlier than expected.
Why? Why the the main earthquake affects a second parallel fault structure ending with fracture even after the received energy.
The problem is that both ruptures would generate their own aftershocks. “An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 hit another of 7.5 can be doubly devastating“, says geologist Raúl Pérez-López, from the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME-CSIC) in dialogue with abc.
What is an earthquake and how does it occur?
A earthquake It is a sudden movement or vibration of the earth’s crust produced by the release of energy, contained within the earth, in the form of seismic waves, defines greenecology. com.
Every year, indicates the specialized site, there are almost 500,000 earthquakes. Obviously they all have different sizes and many are also imperceptible.
Earthquakes are usually caused by tectonic activity. This activity is based on the theory that the earth’s surface (lithosphere) is made up of tectonic plates that slide and can collide with each other, hence the tectonic activity arises.
just this motion and collision between the slabs is what originates the vast majority of earthquakes.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.