The United States asked this question: Why is the earthquake in Turkey so deadly, what is the impact of the building code?

As Turkey is rocked one after another with strong earthquakes, the international community is following developments in the region with concern. As aid teams and search and rescue units from many countries arrive in Turkey, the Washington Post, one of the leading newspapers in USA announced the impact of the earthquake to its readers with a comprehensive analysis.

The Washington Post, which broadcasts events in the region where the number of deaths and injuries is rising by the minute, published an analysis headlined “Why was the Turkey earthquake so deadly according to science?”

“7.8 A VERY VIOLENT EARTHQUAKE”

The Washington Post article, which draws attention to the fact that there were many aftershocks after the terrible earthquake that occurred yesterday morning, and that a new earthquake and disaster struck again at noon, said: “This earthquake caused destruction in Turkey and Syria, it was also felt in Cyprus and Lebanon. Earthquakes are classified according to their intensity, and although there is technically no upper limit, the strongest earthquake in history was the 9.5 earthquake that struck Chile in 1960. Based on this scale, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 it is very strong. While drawing attention to the fact that there were many aftershocks after the first earthquake, it was stated that “there was a magnitude 6.7 earthquake 11 minutes after the earthquake, and another magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred close to the first earthquake around from 13”.

The earthquake caused concern in the international community.

In the part where the question “Why was this earthquake so deadly?” was asked, “The increase in the number of deaths is due to a few reasons: the magnitude of the earthquake, the fact that the earthquake occurred at a nearby point to the surface, and the proximity to the settlement where people live.”Monday’s earthquake occurred at a depth of 17 kilometers,” the statement said.The analysis commented that “For this reason, seismic waves did not travel far to reach the buildings and people on the surface and caused a much stronger jolt.”

“THESE MATERIALS ARE DIFFICULT AGAINST EARTHQUAKES”

It was also said that the aftershocks after the quake were very severe and will continue.

In the analysis written by the Washington Post’s Carolyn Johnson, building regulations in Turkey were also examined. This topic was explored in the section where the question “Would better build code help?” was asked. In the article, “The United States Geological Survey (USGS) warned that the buildings in which people in this region live are susceptible to earthquakes despite having supporting structures. The USGS noted that low-rise concrete and unreinforced brick structures were at risk. He said that these materials were very hard against shaking and would bend, which could cause a mess.

“Better building codes could have helped with this 7.8 magnitude shallow earthquake,” the analysis said. This region does not experience earthquakes as large as in the north.