On February 6th 2023 Turkey and Syria faced a deathly earthquake which more than 50,000 were killed. It is the most devastating natural disaster in modern history. So I thought it should be a discussion in many communities.
Earthquakes are a major form of natural disasters in the world. About 60,000 people die annually due to earthquakes worldwide. Which is why it is important to be educated about it. specially since it is not preventable or predictable in any way possible.
What is an earthquake?
Earthquake is a seismic activity from the inner earth. To understand the earthquakes we need to have the basic knowledge of the earth. The place we stand on. We need to understand what is happening in the depths of the earth.
The Earth
Earth is not a complete solid mass to its core. There are 3 main regions in a cross-section of an Earth’s diagram.
1. The crust,
2. The Mantle and
3. core
The core is divided into two sub regions. So is the mantle. The crust and the outer layer of the mantle is a solid. Together they form lithosphere. The Mantle becomes less solid and more liquid as deeper as it gets. The outer core is also in liquid state while the inner core is in the solid state. The lithosphere is not a constant solid cover like an egg shell. It is made from large pieces which are called tectonic plates. These tectonic plates float on the liquid mantle. Just like a plastic plate float on water. There are seven of these tectonic plates.
- African
- Antarctic
- Eurasian
- Indo-Australian
- North American
- Pacific
- South American
Since these tectonic plates keep floating they move constantly. This non-stop movements cause stress on the surface of the Earth. When the stress is too large it causes cracks on the surface. These cracks are called faults. When the plate moves these faults also move. Earthquake is the sudden movement of these faults. There are more than 150 fault zones in the world. (Complete list of fault zones).
Science behind the earthquake
As I have mentioned at the very beginning of this article an earthquake is a seismic activity. They can occur any place where a sufficient energy is stored to displace a fault. There are several different types of earthquakes. Some are natural while some are induced due to human activities. Yes, in some of these earthquakes are caused due to human activities. Let’s se what they are
- Tectonic earthquakes
- Volcanic Earthquakes
- Earthquakes due to human activities
Tectonic Earthquakes
These happens due to the movement tectonic plates. These are the most common and most destructive type of earthquakes in the world. There are 3 types of how these tectonic plates and faults move.
Volcanic Earthquakes
Earthquakes happen usually before or after an eruption. Prior to the eruption the magma face massive and rapid changes in the heat inside. These changes trigger seismic waves, resulting an earthquake. After an eruption the magma comes out leaving a void inside. To fill this void rocks around it move towards the void. The result is an earthquake. During volcanic activities the magma blocks small and numerous vents. The pressure keep building inside without having been able to release them after the magma has blocked the routes. After a while the extreme pressure cause severe earthquakes to release the buildup pressure.
Earthquakes due to human activities
As I said before there are earthquakes can happen due to human activities. These are known as the explosion earthquakes. Sometimes volcanic earthquakes are categorized as explosion earthquakes. These kinds of earthquakes happen mostly due to underground nuclear tests. But this theory is not tested 100% positive. In an underground nuclear test, a large hole is dug down the surface into the earth. The depth is about 1km and 1-3 meters in width. The nuclear weapon is placed inside the hole and covered with layers of sand and pea gravel. These prevent the radiation from entering the surface. So it is natural to believe that the energy from a nuclear weapon equal to 5 million tons of TNT could cause the earth’s crust more and more vulnerable and the energy could actually induce tectonic movements. But according to the United States Geological Survey, the energy released from a single testing bomb is 100 times lesser than the energy that comes from the strain induced by the tidal waves on the tectonic plates.
But there is a small impact whenever a bomb blast takes place. The other reason that earthquake happen due to collapse of mines. There are various kinds of mines and some have dug deep to retrieve the sources. It could be metals or precious stones. And sometimes the land is not strong enough to hold the underground mines. As a result the mines collapse causing a relatively small shake compared to the tectonic earthquakes. But these could cause much damage specially if the mines are located within towns or near them.
Notable earthquakes in history
The have been many many earthquakes in the history of the man and it is natural to believe that there might have been many more, sometimes more violent and aggressive shakes must have happened in the history that is unknown to man. So I have chosen 10 of the devastating earthquakes based on the causalities.
| Country or Region | Year | Number of Recorded Deaths | |
| 1 | Shaanxi, China | 1556 | 830,000 |
| 2 | Port au Prince, Haiti | 2010 | 316,000 |
| 3 | Tangshan, China | 1976 | 242,000 |
| 4 | Tabrize, Iran | 1780 | 200,000 |
| 5 | Gansu, China | 1920 | 200,000 |
| 6 | Aceh, Indonesia | 2004 | 200,000 |
| 7 | Ashgabat, Turkmenistan | 1948 | 176,000 |
| 8 | Tokyo, Japan | 1923 | 142,800 |
| 9 | Messina & Reggio di Calabria, Italy | 1908 | 110,000 |
Earthquakes and Turkey
Turkey is located in the boundary of the African plate, Anatolian plate and the Arabian plate, which makes it a natural earthquake region. Turkey has a long history of earthquakes as well. There is a record of 260000 deaths during an earthquake that had happened in Antioch, Turkey in 13th December 115. And after nearly a half an century another one hit the same region which caused harm to the neighboring Syria. But they have failed to prevent the disaster or to minimize the damage. That is the main reason for this massive number of lost lives.
Solution for earthquakes
If you read the geology and science of the earthquakes you know that there is nothing we can do to stop them from happening. All we could do is to predict and avoid the earthquake to minimize the damage. In this field my personal opinion is that Japan has the most advance systems and solutions. Although there are many regions in the world that have frequent earthquakes, Japan is the country that comes to my mind whenever the subject of earthquakes appear. It is because Japan is a victim of constant earthquakes and tsunamis. But Japanese people have found many ways to minimize the damage during such occasions.
Many of the Japanese buildings in the area have been built to survive during a shake. They are designed to move according to the shake without collapsing. The technology they have used is amazing. While some buildings are made with teflon some buildings have inflated, rubber, or fluid-filled bases to absorb the shock. They have a phone update as soon as an earthquake is occurred. They also educate about how to survive during the earthquake. These training drills are often included in school syllabuses since pre schools.
An earthquake is not preventable. Specially if you live near an earthquake region. The best thing is to do is to be well prepared for the upcoming event. Which is not predictable in any way possible.
Facts and DIY 