New Earthquake In Turkey Of Magnitude 6.3. The Toll Of Victims And Injured Continues To Rise
A new earthquake measuring 6.3 hit the province of Hatay, Turkey. The earthquake was triggered by the East Anatolian fault, the same responsible for the devastating 7.9 magnitude quake of 6 February.
The causes of the triggering of the new earthquake
The new earthquake was triggered by the East Anatolian fault , the same responsible for the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria that started this long and disastrous seismic sequence that has been going on since 6 February. It is a structure about 500 km long that has been triggered at the point where the Anatolian, Arabian and African blocks converge , with a transcurrent movement – that is, the plates slide side by side. Do you think that this sliding of the plates has caused two deep fractures
The fault was responsible for enormous fractures in the ground, in fact, days after the first earthquake, the extent of the displacement of the tectonic plates was quantified: one that extends for 300 km in a north-easterly direction and records a reciprocal displacement between the slabs of 5 meters and a subsequent one, of 125 km, which caused a displacement of 7 meters . These deep fissures are also visible from the aerial images of the cultivated fields , furrowed by a real gash in the ground.
The death toll
According to Ankara's official estimates there is talk of at least 40,600 dead , even if the number is destined to rise given the high number of missing and seriously injured. It is believed that there are currently millions of people displaced between Turkey and Syria and, including this last country, the victims would exceed 45,000 people .
According to estimates by the Turkish emergency management agency (AFAD), 32,000 people participated in search and rescue activities for the missing in the last two weeks, together with 8,294 international rescuers. Since February 19, however, the Turkish government has announced that searches are continuing only in the most affected areas of Kahramanmaras and Hatay , the epicenter of the earthquake.
