Earthquake expert points to Marmara fault line and issues warning

Civil engineer, architect, and earthquake expert Yoshinori Moriwaki attended the "The Reality of Earthquakes in Turkey" conference held in Kırklareli. In his statement there, Moriwaki pointed to the Marmara fault line.

İHA

Speaking at the conference held at the Faculty of Engineering on the Kayalı Campus, Moriwaki warned against a Marmara earthquake. Stating that the largest earthquake in Turkey occurred in Erzincan in 1939 with a magnitude of 7.9, Moriwaki explained that structures on soft ground collapse more quickly. 

Stating that they were actually expecting a magnitude 7 earthquake instead of the 5.1 magnitude earthquake that occurred in the Gemlik Gulf in recent days, Moriwaki said that the Marmara fault line has not been relieved.

Pointing out that there is still energy in the Marmara fault line, Moriwaki said, "While a magnitude 7 earthquake was expected in the Marmara, a magnitude 5 occurred; there is a difference of 2 between them. It is a thousand times smaller than expected, and there is still energy there. It has not been relieved much."

Touching upon the lack of education regarding earthquakes in Turkey, Moriwaki stated that education in Japan begins in kindergarten. Moriwaki said, "When I came to Turkey 32 years ago, people were saying, 'Oh, don't let the children hear about earthquakes.' We must educate children about earthquakes by treating it like a game," he said.

Following the speeches, a plaque was presented to Yoshinori Moriwaki.