Major Earthquake struck Turkey and Syria

February 7, 2023

A 7.8 Ritcher earthquake hit Turkey – Syria. More than thousands died. The earthquake is the biggest of the earthquakes recorded so far in the region. Five tremors were felt and more than 60 aftershocks were recorded. The epicentre was 23 km east of Nurdagi. It is located in the Gaziantep province. The depth of the epicentre was 24.1 km. The data was provided by the US Geological Survey.

What are aftershocks?

Aftershocks are readjustment processes. They occur after the earthquake. Sometimes, the aftershocks continue for days or even years. Aftershocks are small earthquakes and have devastating and disastrous effects just like earthquakes.

Why do aftershocks occur?

Earthquakes are the result of tectonic plate movements. During earthquakes, rocks push and pull and may even split. Such events release enormous amounts of energy. The other nearby rocks cannot withstand this energy and break or even shatter into pieces. They break only when they are not able to withstand the energy released during the quake. The aftershocks occur when the nearby rocks shatter. So it can happen immediately after the earthquake or even a year later.