It all happened at 04:17 in the morning. People still sleeping were stranded when their homes collapsed. The construction of the buildings was not well suited for an area prone to strong earthquakes. He told this to the AFP agency Roger Musson, Honorary Research Fellow, British Geological Survey.

What does the expert say

In part, the scale of the destruction can be attributed to the long-term relative silence of the fault line where the earthquake occurred.

• Musson pointed out that the East Anatolian Fault has not experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 for more than two centuries. Probably because it’s been so long since the last major earthquake. accumulated “quite a lot of energy”Expert suggested.

This disaster was “almost a repeat” of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the same area on August 13, 1822. Then there were tens of thousands of victims. The tremors continued until June of the following year. Could it be this time, the expert does not say.

The epicenter of Monday’s earthquake was located at a relatively shallow depth of about 17.9 kilometers. This was caused by the northward movement of the Arabian tectonic plate.

Because it can’t move smoothly, it periodically “squeezes”, accumulating tension, which is then suddenly released,
– says Musson.

• He emphasized that the epicenter of such an earthquake is less important than how far the rupture extends along the fault line – in this case about 100 kilometers (some sources say 150 kilometers). “This area is actually just above the earthquake”– adds geologist.
• After the 1999 earthquake, the Turkish government passed a law requiring all new construction to meet modern seismic standards. Experts urged Turkey to check compliance with the law in light of the recent disaster.