Earthquake After Effect: Turkey May Have Slipped 5 Metres, Says Expert

Istanbul: More than 72 hours after a deadly earthquake, followed by massive aftershocks, devastated Turkey, dozens of international teams and local organisations are working round the clock to rescue and rehabilitate thousands of distressed people.

As the combined earthquake toll – mainly in southern Turkey and partly in northern Syria – climbed to 17500, specialists are analysing what the effects of such severe tremors could be, reported India Today.

Italian seismologist Professor Carlo Doglioni claimed that Turkey may have slipped by 5 to 6 metres compared to Syria, following horizontal sliding of two plates that triggered the 7.8 magnitude quake in the neighbouring countries.

The movement could have been caused by the grinding in tectonic plates on which Turkey sits.

The massive earthquake was caused by Anatolian plate moving in south-west direction with respect to Arabica plate.

Also Read: Indians In Earthquake-Hit Turkey: 1 Missing, 10 Stuck In Remote Areas; Toll Crosses 11,000

According to experts, one plate moved west and the other moved east underneath the surface of Turkey, creating the shattering tremor.

Researchers described it as a strike-slip earthquake, where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally.

Prof. Doglioni, president of National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, said that the earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.2 on Richter scale were part of a single seismic sequence unleashed at the intersection of four plates that collide continuously — Anatolian, Arabica, Eurasian and African.

The earthquake occurred in the East Anatolian fault zone, which produced damaging tremors earlier.