Turkey Syria Earthquake 2023

1. TURKEY-SYRIA EARTHQUAKE 2023
A PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED FOR THE
PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
IN GEOLOGY
SUBMITTED BY
RAJESH KUMAR BEHURA
20DGL010
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF
DR. SOMNATH KHAOSH
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
RAVENSHAW UNIVERSITY

2. 2
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
RAVENSHAW UNIVERSITY, CUTTACK
Declaration
I hereby declare that the dissertation/project entitled
“TURKEY SYRIA EARTHQUAKE 2023 “submitted by me
to Ravenshaw University, Cuttack for the paper DSE-IV
towards partial fulfilment of requirements for Bachelor of
Science (Geology) under the supervision of Dr. Somnath
Khaosh during the period January 2023 to June 2023 (One
Semester). I also declare that this work has not been the
basis for award of any other degree by anybody in any
institution.
Date: 23/05/2023 Full signature of candidate
Place: Ravenshaw university Roll No.- 20DGL010

3. 3
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
RAVENSHAW UNIVERSITY, CUTTACK
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I will always be grateful to my supervisor Dr. Somnath
Khaosh for his invaluable suggestions and constant
encouragement during my project work. He had taught me
how to think about the above topic and how to do
systematic studies in the above field. I could not have done
this work without his inspiration, support and profound
wisdom. For nourishing my scientific temper and for all
the opportunities and knowledge has given me, I am
forever indebted to him.
RAJESH KUMAR BEHURA
20DGL010

4. 4
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
RAVENSHAW UNIVERSITY, CUTTACK
Certificate
This is to certify that the dissertation report/Project Report/Research Report/Field
Study report entitled “TUKEY SYRIA EARTHQUAKE 2023” has been submitted
Rajesh Kumar Behura, BSc 3rd year Geology Hons., Ravenshaw University,
Cuttack, bearing Roll No.-20DGL010 as part of the compulsory project work for
the paper DSE-IV under my supervision during the period January 2023 to June
2023 (One Semester).
Further, this is certified that the report submitted by the Candidate is a bonafide
research work carried out by the candidate at the Department of Geology,
Ravenshaw University, Cuttack and it is not submitted elsewhere for award of
any degree or diploma.
Dr. Somnath Khaosh
Supervisor Project Adviser

5. 5
INDEX
SL.NO. CONTENT PAGE NO.
1 ABSTRACT 6
2 TECTONIC SETTING 7
GEOLOGY
3 SEISMICITY 8
4 AFTERSHOCKS 9
5 DAMAGE AND CASUALITIES 10
6 IN TURKEY 11 - 12
7 IN SYRIA 13 – 14
8 DIFFICULTIES FOR 15
DELIEVERING AID
9 LOCAL & INTENATIONAL 16
RESPONSES
10 CURRENT SITUATION 17
11 SECONDAY EFFECTS OF 18
EARTHQUAKE
12 EFFECTS IN OTHER 19
COUNTRIES
13 SUMMARY 20
14 REFERENCES 21

6. 6
ABSTRACT
On 6 February 2023, at 04:17 TRT (01:17 UTC), a Mw 7.8 earthquake struck southern and
central Turkey and northern and western Syria. The Epicentre was 37 km (23 mi) west–
northwest of Gaziantep. The earthquake had a maximum Mercalli intensity of XII (Extreme)
in parts of Antakya in Hatay Province. It was followed by a Mw 7.7 earthquake at 13:24 .This
earthquake was centered 95 km (59 mi) north-northeast from the first. There was
widespread damage and tens of thousands of fatalities.
As of 20 March 2023, more than 57,300 deaths were confirmed: more than 50,000 in
Turkey, and more than 7,200 in Syria. It is the deadliest earthquake in what is present day
Turkey since the 526 Antioch earthquake, making it the deadliest natural disaster in its
modern history. It is also the deadliest in what is present day Syria since the 1822 Aleppo
earthquake; the deadliest worldwide since the 2010 Haiti earthquake; and the fifth-
deadliest of the 21st century.
Damages were estimated to be US$104 billion in Turkey and US$5.1 billion in Syria, making
them the fourthcostliest earthquakes on record. Damaged roads, winter storms, and
disruption to communications hampered the Disaster and Emergency Management
Presidency's rescue and relief effort, which included a 60,000-strong search-and-rescue
force, 5,000 health workers and 30,000 volunteers. Following Turkey's call for international
help, more than 141,000 people from 94 countries joined the rescue effort.

7. 7
TECTONIC SETTING
GEOLOGY
Map showing faults active during the Holocene, the extent of
observed or inferred surface rupture and the location of
Epicentres for all earthquakes in the sequence of magnitude
M≥5.0 in the first 21 days.
Central southern Turkey and northwestern Syria are affected by the interaction between
three tectonic plates, the African Plate, the Arabian Plate and the Anatolian Plate. The
boundary between the African and Arabian plates is formed by the Dead Sea Transform
(DST), which is a major zone of left-lateral strike-slip that accommodates the relative
northward movement of Arabia with respect to Africa. The northern end of the DST
truncates at the East Anatolian Fault (EAF) another major zone of left-lateral strike-slip that
accommodates the overall westward movement of the Anatolian Plate as it is extruded in
that direction by the northward movement of the Arabian Plate. The DST and EAF meet at
the Marash Triple Junction. The EAF continues west of the triple junction, forming the
boundary between the African and Anatolian plates, linking into the Cyprus arc to the west
via the Latakia Ridge.
The 700-kilometre-long East Anatolian Fault has been subdivided into seven segments, from
the northeast the Karlıova, Ilıca, Palu, Pütürge, Erkenek, Pazarcık and Amanos.TheAmanos
segment is also considered to be part of the DST by some workers, or a transitional
structure between the EAF and DST by others. A northern strand to the EAF has also been
recognised, including the Sürgü, Çardak, Savrun, Çokak ,Toprakkale, Yumurtalık, Karataş,
Yakapınar and Düziçi–İskenderun segments. The estimated slip rate on the main strand of
the EAF system decreases south-westwards from 10 mm per year on the Karlıova segment
down to 2.9 mm per year on the Amanos segment. On the northern strand, slip rates of 2.5
mm per year have been estimated on the Çardak segment.
The northern part of the Dead Sea Transform has been subdivided into several segments,
although there is some disagreement between workers as to which faults should be
assigned to the DST and which to the EAF, at the northernmost end of the structure.
Following the 2013 "Active Fault Map of Turkey", seven DST segments are recognised in
Turkey and neighbouring parts of Syria, the Afrin, Sermada, Armanaz, Hacıpaşa, Yesemek,
Sakçagöz and Narlı segments.

8. 8
SEISMICITY
The EAF has produced large or damaging earthquakes in the past few hundred years on the
various segments, including the 1789 (M 7.2, Palu), 1795 (M 7.0, Pazarcık), 1872 (M 7.2,
Amanos), 1874 (M 7.1, Palu), 1875 (M 6.7, Palu), 1893 (M 7.1, Erkenek), 1971 (M6.6,
Karlıova) and 2020 (Mw 6.8, Pütürge) events.Other large historical earthquakes have been
tentatively assigned to segments of the EAF, such as the 1114 and 1513 Marash
earthquakes, both thought to have ruptured the Pazarcık segment.
The Palu and Pütürge segments in the east display a recurrence interval of about 150 years
for M 6.8–7.0 earthquakes. The Pazarcık and Amanos segments in the west have recurrence
intervals of 237–772 years and 414–917 years, respectively, for M 7.0–7.4 earthquakes.A
research paper published by Earth and Planetary Science Letters in 2002 studies stress
accumulation and increased seismic hazard along the East Anatolian Fault. The study
concluded two sections of the fault with considerably high potential for future earthquakes.
One of these sections was in Elazığ and Bingöl, located between the rupture zones of the
1874 and 1971 earthquakes. The seismic gap ruptured during a Mw 6.1 earthquake in
2010. The 2020 Mw 6.8 earthquake ruptured to the southwest between the 1893/1905
and 1874 earthquakes.Another seismic gap was located in Kahramanmaraş. This 103 km (64
mi) long section, according to the study, believed to last rupture in 1513 has the potential to
produce magnitude 7.3 earthquakes.
Large earthquakes on the northern part of the DST include events in 115, 526, 587, 1138,
1170 and 1822, which resulted in several tens of thousands to several hundreds of
thousands of fatalities.

9. 9
AFTERSHOCKS
For a more comprehensive list, see List of aftershocks of the 2023 Turkey–Syria
earthquake.
Over 570 aftershocks were recorded within 24 hours of the Mw 7.8 earthquake
and 10,000 recorded three weeks later. An aftershock measuring Mww 6.7
occurred about 11 minutes after the mainshock.There were 25 aftershocks
Mw 4.0 or greater recorded within six hours of the main tremor, according to
the USGS. More than 12 hours later, the USGS had reported at least 54
aftershocks of 4.3 or greater magnitude, while the Turkish Disaster and
Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) recorded at least 120 total
aftershocks. A Mww 6.3 aftershock struck near Uzunbağ in Hatay Province on 20
February; the earthquake was the result of oblique-normal faulting.
The Mw 7.7 earthquake triggered its own aftershock sequence,including two mb
6.0 aftershocks. Aftershocks of the second earthquake continued through at
least 9 Feb.

10. 10
DAMAGE AND CASUALITIES

11. 11
IN TURKEY
In Turkey, there were at least 50,096 deaths and 107,204 injured across 11
provinces of Turkey. At least 15.73 million people and 4 million buildings were
affected. About 345,000 apartments were destroyed. More than 2 million
residents in the affected provinces were evacuated to nearby provinces
including Mersin, Antalya, Mardin, Niğde and Konya. More than 20 percent of
Turkey's agriculture production was damaged. The United Nations said crops,
livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and rural infrastructure were heavily damaged.
By 23 February 2023, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate
Change conducted damage inspections for 1.25 million buildings; revealing
164,000 buildings were either destroyed or severely damaged. A further
150,000 commercial infrastructure were at least moderately damaged. The
International Organization for Migration estimated about 2.7 million people
were made homeless. A damage assessment by the Turkish government
revealed at least 61,722 buildings had to be demolished including 11,900 in
Gaziantep Province, 10,900 in Hatay Province, 10,800 in Kahramanmaraş
Province and 28,914 in Malatya Province. Broad fissures appeared on roads.
During recovery efforts, body parts were often found in the rubble.
In Adana, 12 buildings collapsed in the city center, 23 were badly damaged and
120 were moderately damaged. Three apartments were among the buildings
that collapsed in the city. Across Adana Province, damage assessments revealed
59 buildings and 1,274 apartments were destroyed or required demolition.
At least 300 buildings were razed in Malatya. Sixty percent of the city's buildings
received damage. Nearly every neighborhood of the city was affected by
collapsed buildings. Two hotels collapsed in the city, causing many casualties.
The ceiling of Malatya Erhaç Airport experienced a partial collapse, as did the
historic Yeni Camii mosque.
In Gaziantep, many of the historical sites were severely damaged, such as
GaziantepCastle,Şirvani Mosque and Liberation Mosque. In Nurdağı, nearly
2,500 people died and nearly,50 percent of the town was badly damaged or
destroyed. An additional 30 percent of its buildingstock received moderate
damage. Mass graves were created to bury the overwhelming numberof

12. 12
dead.Gaziantep Oğuzeli Airport was forced to restrict its service to rescue flights.
Ninetypercent of houses were heavily damaged or destroyed in Sakçagözü, and
256 peopledied. In İslahiye, there were 1,368 deaths, over 1,500 injuries and
more than 200 destroyedapartments. There were also over 130 deaths in
Sulumağara, 200 deaths in Altınüzüm, andbetween 300 and 400 fatalities in
Keküklü.

13. 13
IN SYRIA
At least 7,259 people died and over 14,500 were injured in Syria.] Among the dead included
2,153 children and 1,524 women. The Syrian Ministry of Health recorded over 2,248
earthquakerelated deaths and 2,950 injuries in government held areas, most of which were
in the governorates of Aleppo and Latakia. In rebel-held areas, at least 4,547 people died
and 2,200 others were injured. The Syrian Network for Human Rights stated 73 medics, five
media personnel, 62 workers in humanitarian agencies, and four civil defense personnel
were among the dead. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said additional dead were
buried before being registered and some victims died in hospitals.
An estimated 5.37 million people across Syria may have been made homeless while 10.9
million people, nearly half of Syria's population, were affected. More than 123 residential
areas, villages, towns and cities were badly damaged. Many power plants, water facilities,
hospitals and public infrastructure also sustained damage. At least 453 schools were
damaged. A total of 10,600 buildings had partially or fully collapsed, while thousands of
others were damaged in the country.

14. 14
2023 TURKEY – SYRIA EARTHQUAKE

15. 15
Difficulties for delivering aid
In contrast to Turkey, where a central and unified state is able to use its infrastructure and
social protection systems to respond to the earthquakes, a decade of civil war in Syria has
caused extensive damage to infrastructure. The country is divided into hostile areas, and
President Bashar al-Assad’s regime is internationally isolated.
In north west Syria, opposition groups control many of the worst-affected regions. Before
the earthquakes, the region had a high level of humanitarian need and displacement, and
the UN said its funding for the area was already overstretched.
Delivering aid is complicated by attitudes to the Syrian regime. Following the outbreak of
the Syrian civil war in 2011, the country was expelled from the Arab League, and the UK and
others applied additional sanctions against the regime following to its violent response to
protests and breaking of chemical weapons conventions.
While the Assad Government has said it stands ready to deliver aid to all of Syria, the
regime has a history of aid diversion and many governments, including the United States
and United Kingdom, have said they will not work with the regime. They have emphasised
that although there are sanctions, these have humanitarian exemptions. The US expanded
these exemptions on 9 February, and the UK on the 15 February.
There are now three cross-border crossings into northwest Syria, up from one (Bab al-Hawa)
on the day of the earthquakes. Due to earthquake damage, Bab al-Hawa could not be re-
opened until three days after the disaster.
The UN, Turkey, local groups and NGOs such as the White Helmets are expected to lead the
response in north west Syria.

16. 16
Local responses
In Turkey, the Government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has declared a state of
emergency and announced the deployment of additional personnel and emergency funding
to the 10 affected regions. Political opponents have criticised his response as too slow.
In Syria, most aid is likely to be sent via the UN and independent NGOs. Opposition groups
in the north west have also called for aid, and the White Helmets are providing the
immediate response.
International response
Turkey’s Government states more than 60 countries have sent aid and assistance. 2,600
foreign personnel have been deployed.
The UN has released US$50 million in emergency funding. It has launched a US$397 million
aid appeal for Syria and US$1 billion appeal for Turkey. The UN emphasises only 48% of its
pre-existing humanitarian funding request for north west Syria has been met.
The UK provided an initial £8 million in immediate assistance, including the deployment of
search and rescue teams, and an additional £3.8 in funding to the Syrian White Helmets. A
further £25 million was pledged on 15 February.
The United States and European Union have also announced emergency assistance and
funding, as has NATO. The EU will host a donor conference to mobilise funds for Turkey and
Syria in March 2023.
UK charities and Earthquake
appeals
The UK’s Disaster Emergency Committee has launched an emergency appeal. The UK
Government will match up to £5 million in donations.
The Charity Commission has issued guidance on safe giving to support the relief efforts.
Individuals can check if an organisation is registered online:
• England and Wales Charity Commission, Search the charity register
• Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Search the register
• Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Search the register

17. 17
Current situation
On 6 February 2023, two earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks occurred in the
Gaziantep, Ekinozu and Kahramanmaras provinces of south eastern Turkey. This impacted
both southern Turkey and northern Syria, including the Assad-controlled City of Aleppo and
the opposition-held region around Idlib.
The full impact of the earthquakes and their ongoing effects are not yet established. On 11
February, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief,
Martin Griffiths, said the total number of deaths may be in the region of 50,000.
Below is the situation as of 18 February 2023:
• Casualties: The number of people killed stands at over 46,000 though this figure is likely
to rise further. According to Turkey’s Government,40,642 people have been killed and
108,000 injured. Authorities in Syria have confirmed 5,800 deaths and 8,100 injured (to
14/15 February).
• Homelessness: An estimated 300,000 people across the region are left homeless. More
than 12,000 buildings in Turkey have collapsed, and 9,000 have been destroyed or partially
destroyed in Syria.
• Infrastructure damage: In north west Syria, the UN estimates that 120 schools have been
destroyed, and 57 hospitals partially damaged or forced to suspend their services. The
World Health Organization (WHO) reports 15 hospitals in Turkey suffered heavy or partial
damage.
• Number affected: The UN estimates around 15 million people in Turkey and 8.8 million in
Syria have been affected.
• Value of financial damage in Turkey: Damage has been estimated at between US$50
billion and US$84 billion. The ten affected Turkish regions represent 15% of the country’s
population and 10% of its Gross National Product. 8 There are no estimates for Syria at
present.
Syrian refugees in Turkey
Turkey hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees displaced abroad due to the county’s
civil war: Around 3.7 million (69%). In some of the affected provinces, 50% of the population
are refugees.Past Turkish, European, and World Bank support has meant the majority of
Syrian refugees are now housed in towns and cities rather than camps.
However, before the earthquakes there were reports of increasing poverty and more people
returning to Syria.12 These returns are partly linked to the economic challenges that Turkey
faces, with inflation reaching a 24-year high of 85% in October.

18. 18
Secondary Effects of the
Earthquakes
While the immediate focus is on saving lives, the earthquakes are likely to
exacerbate existing challenges in Syria, increasing humanitarian need and food
insecurity, reducing access to services due to infrastructure damage, and leading
to further population displacement. The International Rescue Committee (IRC)
has described the situation as “an emergency within an emergency.”
In Turkey, extensive damage to infrastructure and buildings have been reported.
Both energy and internet communications have also been affected. Winter
conditions are likely to make the situation worse.
In its flash appeal on the earthquake, the WHO says main future health threats
include hypothermia due to exposure, increased risk of infectious diseases
(including cholera, measles, and Covid-19), malnutrition, genderbased violence,
and increased maternal and child mortality through disrupted access to services.

19. 19
EFFECTS IN OTHER COUNTRIES
In Lebanon, residents were awakened from their sleep. Buildings in the country
shook for up to 40 seconds. In Beirut, residents fled their homes and stayed in
streets or drove in their vehicles to flee from buildings. The earthquake damaged
16,200 buildings across the country, including 10,460 in Beirut and 4,000 in Tripoli.
In Ashdod, Israel, a building was evacuated after cracks were observed in a
pillar, and Champion Motors Tower in Bnei Brak was slightly damaged by the
second earthquake. In Nicosia, Cyprus, some windows cracked, and the wall of a
house collapsed, damaging two nearby vehicles. Six Cuvier's beaked whales were
found dead along the island's northern coast on 10 February. The Department of
Fisheries and Marine Research said there was a possible link between the beaching
and earthquake as these whales' echolocation system are affected by sea
disturbances.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said shaking was felt
in Armenia, Egypt, Palestine, Georgia, Greece, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and Russia. In
Iraq, minor damage occurred in some houses and buildings in Erbil, and the city's
citadel was severely damaged. In Egypt, tremors were strongly felt in the
capital Cairo, and is considered the strongest earthquake felt since 1975. A 20 m
(66 ft) crack appeared in the Corniche in Alexandria.

20. 20
Summary
On Feb. 6, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in southern
Turkey near the northern border of Syria. This quake was followed
approximately nine hours later by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake located
around 59 miles (95 kilometers) to the southwest.
The first earthquake was the most devastating to hit earthquake-prone
Turkey in more than 20 years and was as strong as one in 1939, the
most powerful recorded there. It was centered near Gaziantep in south-
central Turkey, home to thousands of Syrian refugees and the many
humanitarian aid organizations also based there.
The Turkish government is leading the response there through
coordination by AFAD and with the Turkish Red Crescent. State
authorities declared a level-4 emergency leading to a call for international
assistance. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-
month state of emergency in 10 of the country’s provinces.
Governments around the world were quick to respond to requests for
international assistance, deploying rescue teams and offering aid. The
country of Turkey is recognized in English as Türkiye by the United
Nations (UN).
As of March 1, more than 11,000 aftershocks occurred, according to
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
Aftershocks are expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
Additional disaster events have made the response difficult and pose
challenges for a timely and effective recovery. According to the United
Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in
their April 20 Turkey Earthquake Situation Report, “Difficult weather
conditions, including heavy rain and flooding, strong winds as well as
increasingly hot weather in some areas, pose additional challenges to the
humanitarian response.”

21. 21
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