Washington Post Analysis: Hundreds of Years of Accumulated Pressure Released in Earthquakes

In the Washington Post story, which is based on data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) and expert opinion, it was noted that the quakes that killed many people in Turkey and Syria were felt in countries in the region and around the world.

In the analysis published by the USGS after the earthquake, it was noted that along the East Anatolian Fault, the Anatolian and Arabian plates slipped and rubbed against each other, causing increasing pressure from the catastrophic landslides. In the analysis, it was claimed that the first quake, which the USGS declared to be a magnitude 7.8, was triggered by strike-slip or lateral-slip fault movements, the result of “hundreds of years of cumulative pressure release”. .

Seismologist and researcher Judith Hubbard, whose views are included in the story, estimated that the pressure buildup that led to the quake could have lasted up to 300 years. According to the USGS, the Anatolian and Arabian plates moved between 3 and 3.5 meters after this earthquake.

The USGS noted that it is normal for aftershocks to occur repeatedly for weeks to months after the main quake, and they tend to decrease in intensity, duration, and frequency over time. (AA)