Turkey and Syria are located at the key nodes of the ancient Silk Road, and are important bridges for the economic and trade development of contemporary Asia and Europe. The North Anatolian Fault, located between the African and Eurasian plates, runs through Turkey from east to west, making earthquakes the most significant natural disaster in Turkey and its adjacent regions.
According to the China Earthquake Network Center (CENC), a 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in Turkey at 4:17 local time on February 6, 2023 (09:17 on February 6, 2023, Beijing time), with a depth of 20 km and an epicenter located at 37.15 degrees north latitude and 36.95 degrees east longitude. The average elevation within 5 km of the epicenter is about 1001 meters; the population density near the epicenter is not low, with 33 large and medium-sized cities within 300 km. The nearest city is Gaziantep, the sixth largest city in Turkey, about 40 km from the epicenter. The largest earthquake in the last 10 years within 200 km of the epicenter is this 7.8 magnitude earthquake, 659 km from the 6.1 magnitude earthquake on November 23, 2022. This earthquake caused many neighboring countries such as Syria, Iraq, Israel and Palestine to be affected to varying degrees. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said that at least 18 aftershocks with magnitude over 4 were recorded after the strong earthquake in southern Turkey, including 7 with magnitude over 5. According to the latest news from the CENC, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake occurred in Turkey (38.00 degrees north latitude, 37.15 degrees east longitude) at 13:24 local time (18:24 Beijing time) on Feb. 06, with a depth of 20 kilometers.As of 07:00 on February 9, Beijing time, the strong earthquake has caused more than 12,000 deaths in both Turkey and Syria.
IKCEST-DRR organized data collection and consolidation quickly after the earthquake disaster. And through this data sharing column, IKCEST-DRR provide sharing services to global users to support emergency disaster relief in earthquake-affected areas of Turkey and Syria.
