A major earthquake measuring 7.8 on the moment magnitude scale struck south-eastern Turkey near the Syrian border in the early hours of Monday morning. The tremor, which hit close to the town of Gaziantep, was followed by numerous aftershocks, including one almost as powerful as the initial quake. The earthquake broke along approximately 100km of fault line, causing severe damage to buildings in the affected area.
The death toll has risen to tens of thousands, with many more injured. Experts attribute the high casualty rate to the timing of the quake, which occurred when people were asleep indoors, as well as the variable quality of building infrastructure in southern Turkey and Syria. Dr Carmen Solana of the University of Portsmouth noted that the next 24 hours are critical for finding survivors, with rescue efforts hampered by the scale of destruction.
The earthquake resulted from the northward movement of the Arabian plate grinding against the Anatolian plate. This tectonic activity has historically produced devastating earthquakes in the region, including a 7.4 magnitude event in 1822 that killed around 7,000 people in Aleppo alone. The current earthquake is more powerful than that historical event, and scientists expect damaging aftershocks to continue for some time.
Seismologists classify the earthquake as a 'major' event on the magnitude scale, with the potential to cause serious damage. The moment magnitude scale, which replaces the older Richter scale, measures the combination of fault line displacement and the force driving it. Tremors above 7.0 are known to cause widespread destruction, while those above 8.0 can be catastrophic. The largest recorded earthquake, a 9.5 magnitude event, struck Chile in 1960.
