They dug two trenches and conducted research at the epicenter of the February 6 earthquake... A new fault line was identified

Under the leadership of TÜBİTAK, and in cooperation with the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA), the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (TBB), and 22 universities, the Research Platform for Determining the Paleoseismological Characteristics of Active Faults in Turkey was established as part of efforts to update the "Turkey Earthquake Hazard Map."

The platform has been continuing its work at full speed for approximately 10 months as part of the Turkey Paleoseismology Research Project (P/SISMOTÜRK), involving 100 scientists from the relevant departments of these universities, along with a team of 90 researchers and scholarship holders, across 128 active faults at 19 different locations.

WORK CONTINUES DAY AND NIGHT

TÜBİTAK President Mandal and Prof. Dr. Hasan Sözbilir, a faculty member of the Department of General Geology at Dokuz Eylül University (DEÜ) and a member of the AFAD Scientific Support Board, examined the work in the Pazarcık district, the epicenter of the first 7.7-magnitude earthquake on February 6, 2023, as part of the project.

In his statement, Mandal recalled that they were conducting paleoseismological research in Pazarcık, where the first of the 7.7-magnitude earthquakes occurred on February 6, 2023. He stated that they have not forgotten the pain of the disaster and, in this context, are working day and night to create science-based solutions for the future.

Explaining that the "Turkey Earthquake Hazard Map" will be updated through paleoseismology-based studies conducted on active faults or fault segments, Mandal noted the following:

"By the end of 2025, we will have produced the paleoseismological maps of all of Turkey's active fault lines, and these will be shared with the public. For the first time, public decision-makers came together in a meeting chaired by our Minister of Industry and Technology, Mehmet Fatih Kacır, with the participation of our AFAD president, our MTA president, and our general manager. 22 universities, 100 researchers, and 90 students came together. This is happening for the first time. We have learned a lesson, at least in a scientific sense. This is a reality for the whole world and our country. With the climate change events occurring, this situation will be triggered even more. We know how strongly AFAD works after an earthquake, but we must take our necessary precautions based on scientific foundations so that there is no need for that."

'A NEW FAULT LINE WAS BORN'

Prof. Dr. Hasan Sözbilir, a faculty member of the Department of General Geology at Dokuz Eylül University (DEÜ) and a member of the AFAD Scientific Support Board, stated that they have opened 2 trenches so far in the study they initiated on the Narlı fault as part of the project.

Explaining that the examination of the trenches revealed that the Narlı fault did not break during the February 6, 2023 earthquakes and that a new fault line was born alongside it, Sözbilir said, "We can see how the fault moved with the earthquake. When we look at this movement, we have determined that the movement here does not match the movement of the Narlı fault very much. In other words, a movement of a different fault type occurred here. Therefore, this is a fault independent of the Narlı fault, and we think this is a fault connected to the East Anatolian Fault."

Ercan Aksoy, a faculty member of the Department of Geological Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of Fırat University, also pointed out that it is gratifying for scientists from various universities in Turkey to come together with this project.

Büşra Yerli, a PhD scholarship holder and geological engineer who participated in the studies, emphasized her joy at being part of such a team in the early years of her profession and stated that important work is being accomplished in the field.