Monday night saw a powerful earthquake strike Turkey, leading to concerns about the possibility of a tsunami affecting various regions in the Mediterranean, including the Balearics. However, the situation has since changed and all tsunami alerts have been lifted by Italy and other regions.
Manuel Regueiro, the President of the Illustrious Association of Geologists (ICOG), initially warned of the potential for a tsunami in the wake of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The quake released energy similar to the explosion of 1.2 million tonnes of trinitrotoluene (TNT) and took place on the southern edge of the Anatolian Plate, a tectonic subplate of the Eurasian Plate.
According to Regueiro, the Eurasian Plate has two major sets of transform faults, with the latest quake being aligned with Cyprus. However, after thorough assessments, it has been concluded that a tsunami in Turkey is unlikely. The earthquake was recorded at a depth of about 7 km by Turkish seismographic services and slightly deeper, about 10 km, by US teams, located about 600 km east of Ankara.
While the recent earthquake in Turkey was indeed powerful, there is no longer any cause for concern regarding a potential tsunami. This is due to the swift actions of various authorities and organizations, who were able to assess the situation and provide accurate updates to the public.
Aftershocks in Turkey
However, aftershocks will continue to shake the area as local faults adjust to such a huge tremor, and scientists say that aftershocks could continue for days, months and even years to come. There is even a possibility, albeit small that an aftershock could be bigger than the original quake itself. Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that occur after a main shock and are a result of the Earth’s crust adjusting to the changes brought on by the main shock. Although the exact time frame and magnitude of aftershocks cannot be predicted, they are generally considered to be a normal part of the earthquake cycle. Scientists study aftershocks to better understand the behaviour of earthquakes and to help prepare for future earthquakes.
