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Responding to the Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

DIPNOTE

DIPNOTE BLOGGERS

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

On February 6, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck central southern Türkiye, close to the Syrian border, followed by dozens of violent aftershocks. The earthquakes have resulted in thousands of deaths in Türkiye and Syria and affected hundreds of thousands of people.

 On February 8, two U.S. Agency for International Development Urban Search and Rescue teams arrived in Incirlik to help with rescue and recovery efforts after the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye.  U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Jeff Flake and Mrs. Flake greeted the teams and thanked them for providing urgent support to our NATO Ally.

More than 1,400 emergency response personnel from more than 20 NATO Allies and partners – including invitees Finland and Sweden – are deploying to Türkiye, helping to respond to the devastating earthquakes which struck the country.

On February 6, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “The United States expresses our deep sadness at the tragic loss of life and destruction across Türkiye and Syria from today’s earthquakes. We extend our condolences to the families of those affected and are assessing our comprehensive response options.”  

Secretary Blinken continued, “I have directed my team to remain in close contact with our Turkish allies and our humanitarian partners in the coming days to determine what the region needs. Our initial assistance response to Türkiye is already underway, and U.S.-supported humanitarian organizations in Syria are responding to the earthquakes’ effects across the country. We are determined to do all that we can to help those affected by these earthquakes in the days, weeks, and months ahead.”  

To date, the United States has deployed more than 150 search-and-rescue personnel, along with teams of canines, to join the life-saving efforts in  Türkiye. U.S. teams include experienced emergency managers, hazardous materials technicians, engineers, logisticians, paramedics, and planners, among others – along with 170,000 pounds of specialized tools and equipment.  

In Syria, U.S.-funded humanitarian partners like the White Helmets immediately began to assess the impact and needs, and they are coordinating life-saving assistance. The United States is committed to providing humanitarian assistance to help the Syrian people recover from this disaster, just as we have been their leading humanitarian donor since the start of the war – providing more than $15 billion to the Syrian people in Syria and throughout the region. These funds go to the Syrian people, not the regime.    

In both Türkiye and Syria, the United States is committed to doing everything we can to respond to this devastating earthquake.  For more information, follow USAID and U.S. Embassy Türkiye.  

 Information for U.S. Citizens Affected by the Earthquake  

How You Can Help   

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PBS:Swaths of southern Turkey and northern Syria are in ruins after a powerful earthquake ripped through the region. At least 3,400 are dead, more than 13,000 more injured and tens of thousands are homeless. The pre-dawn quake hit with a 7.8 magnitude and shook buildings as far away as Israel. Kieren Barnes of Mercy Corps joined Geoff Bennett to discuss the disaster.

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On 6 February 2023, a catastrophic and deadly earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and western Syria.  It occurred 34 km (21 mi) west of the city of Gaziantep at 04:17 TRT (01:17 UTC), causing widespread damage and thousands of fatalities in the region.

With a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) and a magnitude of at least Mww 7.8, the earthquake is tied with the 1939 Erzincan earthquake as the strongest recorded earthquake to hit Turkey in modern times and the deadliest earthquake to strike the country since the 1999 İzmit earthquake.  It is also the deadliest earthquake worldwide since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami,  and also one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the Levant. It caused structural damage as far away as Ashdod, Israel and Nicosia, Cyprus.

The earthquake was followed by numerous aftershocks, including an unusually powerful Mww 7.5 nine hours after the main quake. As of 8 February, 12,537 deaths had been reported in total; 9,057 in Turkey  and 3,480 in Syria.  A large winter storm hampered rescue efforts, dropping snow on the ruins and bringing plummeting temperatures.

The location of the earthquake places it within the vicinity of a triple junction between the Anatolian, Arabian, and African plates. The mechanism and location of the earthquake is consistent with it having occurred on either the East Anatolian Fault zone or the Dead Sea Transform Fault Zone. The East Anatolian Fault accommodates the westward extrusion of Turkey into the Aegean Sea, while the Dead Sea Transform accommodates the northward motion of the Arabia peninsula relative to the Africa and Eurasia plates.

The shock had a focal mechanism corresponding to shallow strike-slip faulting.  Rupture occurred on either a northeast–southwest striking and northeast dipping or northeast–southwest striking and northwest dipping fault.  The USGS estimated a rupture dimension of ~190 km (120 mi) long and ~25 km (16 mi) wide. A professor of geophysics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia said the earthquake may have ruptured over 300 km (190 mi) of fault.  It is thought to have ruptured sections of the East Anatolian Fault and Dead Sea Transform.

A source model produced by the USGS indicated the earthquake ruptured two fault segments for a combined length exceeding nearly 400 km (250 mi) long and 40 km (25 mi) wide. The rupture occurred on an approximately 60 km (37 mi), north–south striking, east dipping fault near the Mediterranean coast. An approximately 300 km (190 mi) segment striking northeast–southwest also ruptured. The mainshock produced a maximum slip of 3.4 m (11 ft).

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