Special Session 1: 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake

28 November 2023
09:00 – 12:30 (=UTC+3)

  • The Middle East region is characterized by a significant seismic activity. The seismotectonic characteristics are dominated by the convergence of the African and Arabian plates towards Anatolia, resulting in active large continental faults (Dead Sea Fault, East Anatolian Fault and North Anatolian Fault) that generate destructive earthquakes. In previous centuries, the Arabian tectonic plate has been moving northward at ~18 mm/yr and has been colliding with the Anatolia. This tectonic shift has been behind the earthquakes for millennia in the area.
  • The area of southern Turkey and northern Syria has been severely hit by the Mw 7.8 and 7.6 earthquakes on 6 February 2023, following by aftershocks reaching Mw 6.7. This seismic activity is responsible of devastations of large cities such as Kahramanmaras, Antachia and Aleppo reaching 45 000 victims.
  • The East Anatolian Fault has a long seismic record and was identified as a seismically hazardous area. No earthquakes greater than magnitude 7.0 have been recorded on the fault since the instrumental period. The 6 February 2023 earthquakes were larger than what was most likely anticipated.
  • Lessons learned from this recent seismic crisis and previous earthquakes can now be applied in the Mediterranean region and beyond for a better seismic hazard and risk assessment. And the most recent disaster can serve as a warning to be ready for earthquakes to come along main active faults.
  • A special session on these topics will be organized alongside the MedGU-23. Researchers working on any topic related to the Science of Earthquakes are welcome to submit a short abstract by the deadline (10 June 2023).
earthquake
Seismotectonics of the East Anatolian fault and location of the 6 February 2023 earthquake sequence of Kahramanmaras. Focal mechanisms are Harvard CMTs and fault traces from the EC-Funded APAME Project (2003 – 2007).

Convener

  • Mustapha Meghraoui

    Mustapha Meghraoui

    Editorial Board Member, Mediterranean Geosciences Reviews (Springer)
    Editor of Arabian Journal of Geosciences (Springer)
    IPG Strasbourg, France

Co-Conveners

  • Erhan Altunel

    Erhan Altunel

    Eskişehir Osmangazi University
    Eskişehir, Turkey

  • Daniela Pantosti

    Daniela Pantosti

    Istituto nazionale di geofisica e vulcanologia (INGV)
    Rome, Latium, Italie

Invited Speakers

  • Cengiz Zabci

    Cengiz Zabci

    Istanbul Technical University
    İstanbul, Turkey

  • Ali Pınar

    Ali Pınar

    Bogazici University
    Bebek/İstanbul, Turkey