Antalya may become the “new Kahramanmarash” (the city where today’s earthquake occurred). The President of the Chamber of Geological Engineers (JMO), geophysicist Bayram Ali Celtik, made such an alarming prediction in the Turkish media. He also warned that Istanbul might also be at risk of a seismic shock.
We will remind you that today the force of tremors reached 7.8 points, and this is huge energy – the expert assured, and that an equally intense earthquake can hit the cities that are popular with tourists. “So far, the earthquake has hit the cities of Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Diyarbakir, Adana, Osmania, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Adiaman, Malatya, and Hatay. But there is a risk that Istanbul or Antalya will be under attack next time. And a possible earthquake in our region could be stronger,” he said, adding that since Istanbul and Antalya are densely populated provinces, the consequences could be much more severe and catastrophic.
The expert explained it as follows: the epicenter of the earthquake is located on the left-side sliding Pazardzhik segment of the East Anatolian fault, 82 km long. “All data on earthquakes point to underground tremors associated with the East Anatolian fault system. Moreover, even the aftershocks have a huge magnitude of 6.6,” said the expert. And this is not the only seismic fault in Turkey, he added. “There is a fault line in Northern Anatolia, which starts from the Gulf of Sar and extends across the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the most mobile and most active right-sided shear faults in the world. This is the fault that could cause the expected Istanbul earthquake. The other is the line of the East Anatolian fault about 300 kilometers long,” the geophysicist said.
Note: By the way, you can see a map of tectonic faults in Turkey in the article “Where will it strike next in 2023: a map of seismically dangerous areas of Turkey has been published.”
At the same time, the expert added that the fault lines “have not moved” for 500 years, but everything can change. “It could be a seismic rupture. We are in danger – because the aftershocks could continue – and cause destruction at a distance of at least 100 km and new shocks at vulnerable points. A new Kahramanmarash may happen in Antalya. “The risks are huge,” the geophysicist assures.