Where did it hit and why was it so deadly?

More than 2,000 people have been killed and thousands injured by a massive earthquake that hit southeastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, in the early hours of Monday morning.

The earthquake, which struck near the city of Gaziantep, was closely followed by numerous aftershocks, including one nearly as large as the quake itself.

Why was it so deadly?

It was a major earthquake – recorded as 7.8, classified as “major” on the official magnitude scale. It broke along a fault line of about 100 km (62 mi), causing severe damage to buildings near the fault line.

Professor Joanna Faure Walker, head of the Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction at University College London, said: “Of the deadliest earthquakes in any given year, only two were of comparable magnitude in the last 10 years, and four in the previous 10 year. year.”

But it’s not just the strength of the quake that wreaks havoc.

This incident took place in the early hours of the morning when people were indoors and sleeping.

The robustness of the buildings also plays a role.

Dr. Carmen Solana, lecturer in volcanology and risk communication at the University of Portsmouth, says: “The resistant infrastructure is unfortunately patchy in southern Turkey and especially in Syria, so saving lives now largely depends on response. The next 24 hours are crucial to find survivors. After 48 hours, the number of survivors drops dramatically.”

This was a region that had not had a major earthquake in over 200 years and had no warning signs, so the level of preparedness would be lower than for a region more accustomed to tremors.

What caused the earthquake?

The Earth’s crust is made up of separate pieces called plates that nestle next to each other.

These plates often try to move, but are prevented by the friction of friction against an adjacent plate. But sometimes the pressure builds up until a plate suddenly jerks across the plate, causing the surface to move.

In this case, it was the Arabian plate moving northward and rubbing against the Anatolian plate.

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Friction of the plates has historically been responsible for very damaging earthquakes.

On August 13, 1822, it produced an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale, significantly less than the 7.8 recorded on Monday.

Still, the 19th century earthquake caused massive damage to towns in the area, killing 7,000 in the city of Aleppo alone. Damaging aftershocks lasted nearly a year.

There have already been several aftershocks after the current earthquake and scientists expect it to follow the same trend as the region’s previous major earthquake.

How are earthquakes measured?

They are measured on a scale called the Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw). This has replaced the better known Richter scale, which is now considered obsolete and less accurate.

The number attributed to an earthquake represents a combination of the distance the fault line has traveled and the force that has moved it.

A tremor of 2.5 or less usually cannot be felt, but it can be detected by instruments. Tremors of up to five are felt and cause minor damage. The magnitude 7.8 Turkish earthquake is classified as severe and usually causes severe damage, as in this case.

Anything over 8 causes catastrophic damage and can completely wipe out downtown communities.

How does this compare to other major earthquakes?

The 2011 earthquake off the coast of Japan was recorded as a magnitude 9 and caused extensive damage to the country, triggering a series of giant tidal waves – one of which led to a major accident at a nuclear power plant along the coast.

The largest earthquake ever was 9.5 recorded in Chile in 1960.