Impressive Earthquake Commentary From American Experts: The Intersection Of Three Tectonic Plates
Notable assessments came from the American experts on the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, which caused extensive destruction in 10 provinces of Turkey.
The Wall Street Journal newspaper, one of the major media outlets in the US, pointed out that multiple faults, negligence in building construction, and unstable ground structure caused great destruction in earthquakes.
American scientists pointed out that the second major earthquake occurred 9 hours later, with stress transfer from the first earthquake to another fault line. “We’re talking about a fault system made up of different faults,” said Purdue University seismologist Jonathan Delph.
There is great destruction in Kahramanmaraş, the epicenter of the earthquake.
Dara Goldberg, a researcher at the US Geological Research Center (USGS), emphasized that two strong earthquakes occurred in a row as a result of the shaking experienced at the intersection of three separate tectonic plates, saying: “Normally, two plates come together , but things are more complicated in the region where the three intersect.”
‘IT’S NOT A VERY COMMON SITUATION’
Geoscientist Stephen Hicks, from University College London, pointed out that there are two important interruptions in earthquakes, noting that earthquakes occur in shallow areas, and this situation prevents energy from dissipating before it reaches the surface and the destruction grows.
University of California engineering professor Jonathan Bray said it’s not uncommon for a large earthquake to rupture another nearby fault.
Experts drew attention to the fact that one of the causes of the two earthquakes, which occurred one after the other, was “soil liquefaction.”
Professor Bray, who was also on the team that investigated the 1999 Izmit earthquake, noted that soil liquefaction is a serious problem, especially in areas close to the sea, rivers and ports and where the water layer is dense.
“Liquefaction of the ground is causing the surface to disperse, which is very devastating for the buildings above,” Bray said.