Jordi Diaz, a seismologist at the Barcelona Institute of Geosciences of the Supreme Council for Scientific Research in Spain, said, "The two earthquakes that occurred in the Turkish state of Kahramanmaraş are two large earthquakes that separate them 9 hours, and this is a very rare case."
Diaz added in an interview with Anadolu Agency that statistics showed that the two earthquakes were the largest of their kind in Turkey in a century, so the situation can be described as the "disaster of the century."
He pointed out that the world witnesses earthquakes of this magnitude 10-20 times a year, but the earthquake that struck Turkey had unique characteristics in terms of its destructive capacity.
shallow earthquakes
The Spanish scientist pointed out that the two earthquakes caused heavy losses in the region, because their epicenter was very close to the surface, with a depth of only 15-20 kilometers, in addition to its proximity to residential areas with buildings that are not qualified to withstand this type of earthquake.
And he added, "We call earthquakes similar to the earthquake of Maraş called shallow earthquakes, and this type carries greater destructive capabilities," stressing that Spain witnessed a similar earthquake that occurred in the city of Lorca (south) on May 11, 2011, but the earthquake in Turkey was a thousand times more severe than the earthquake. Lorca in Spain.
The Spanish scientist also compared the earthquake of Maraşlı to the earthquake that struck the Japanese city of Tohoku in 2011, saying that the Maraşlı earthquake was two major earthquakes with an interval of only 9 hours, and the amount of energy emitted from them is 30 times more than that of Japan.
The Spanish scientist urged the need to conduct extensive studies on the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in detail, because the data that will be reached in this regard would change our view of seismic risks and current rules.
The threat of Istanbul
On the other hand, Diaz said, "Istanbul is one of the areas classified by experts among the places prone to seismic movements."
He added that Istanbul is under a very clear threat, and similar large earthquakes are expected in Tokyo, Los Angeles, San Francisco and California.
He called for the construction of new buildings with better earthquake resistance, and greater logistical support for rescue teams in quake-prone areas.
He continued, "If you live in an earthquake zone, you should know that an earthquake is coming sooner or later. The great earthquake occurred in San Francisco in 1906, and now everyone is waiting for a new big earthquake there."
Diaz mentioned that the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings contributes to saving lives, as is the case in Japan and Haiti.
At dawn on February 6, an earthquake of 7.7 degrees struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, followed by another hours later with a magnitude of 7.6 and hundreds of violent aftershocks, which left huge losses of lives and property in the two countries.