Breaking News... Statement on the Istanbul earthquake from Ahmet Ercan: 'Energy equivalent to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima has been released'

AFAD has announced that a 6.2 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Silivri district of Istanbul. It was reported that the tremor, recorded at 12:13, occurred at a depth of 6.99 kilometers. The earthquake was felt in many cities, particularly in Izmir.

After the initial earthquake, aftershocks also occurred. Three separate aftershocks were recorded: a 4.4 magnitude tremor at 12:51, and 4.9 and 4.5 magnitude tremors at 13:02. Following the violent shaking, citizens panicked and rushed out of their homes and workplaces into the streets.

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ercan, who joined the Haber Masası program on Halk TV, shared his initial assessments following the earthquakes that caused panic.

"THIS IS NOT AN EARTHQUAKE TO BE UNDERESTIMATED"

Speaking after the earthquake, which AFAD announced had its epicenter off the coast of Silivri, Ahmet Ercan said, "I had stated that before the main earthquake arrives, there would be foreshocks reaching magnitudes of 4, 5, and 6. This is one of them, a 6.2."

Expressing that the earthquake, which caused panic, was a moderate-intensity tremor that revealed the accumulation of stress, Ercan continued as follows:

This is not an earthquake to be underestimated. In Istanbul, the threshold for destruction begins after approximately 4.4.

The magnitude of the earthquake we have been expecting off the coast of Silivri is 7-7.2. Therefore, it will be one point higher than this. We cannot say that the expected Istanbul earthquake has happened and is over.

This is a magnitude that should not be taken lightly, and it shows that there is an accumulation of stress here. It was heard over a very wide area, meaning this event was felt as far as Izmir. This is because the earthquake was very shallow. I estimate that a right-lateral strike-slip fault has been activated in an east-west direction. So, the fault moving here is the North Anatolian Fault.

This is the fault we are all expecting an earthquake from. It occurred as a right-lateral strike-slip. This fault may have had a displacement of approximately 3-4 meters. There are two branches here. One is the Istanbul branch. It is right between Büyükçekmece and Kınalıada. This actually happened on the Thrace branch...

"WE WILL BE SHAKEN 1-2 MORE TIMES"

It skipped the fault off the coast of Istanbul and this time it erupted off the coast of Silivri. In other words, it erupted off the coast of Silivri and Marmara Ereğlisi. So, what actually broke here is the Thrace fault. It has broken at least 6 to 6.5 kilometers, more or less.

Today, tomorrow, or within a week, we will be shaken 1-2 more times. We will hear the aftershocks of the 6.2 earthquake, reaching magnitudes of up to approximately 5.2. They will also be frightening, but an earthquake of this magnitude will not be destructive to structures in Istanbul.

For it to be destructive, it needs to be larger than 6.4. This is less than the magnitude we are expecting. At this point, the earthquake magnitude we are actually expecting is 7-7.2. But it is difficult to give precise information on when it will reach that.

"ENERGY EQUIVALENT TO THE BOMB DROPPED ON HIROSHIMA HAS BEEN RELEASED"

I have been saying for years that such earthquakes will occur as local stress releases before the main earthquake arrives. This is one of them. Of course, a large amount of stress has been released here. A stress release roughly equivalent to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima has occurred.

But could this stress release reduce the magnitude of the expected major Istanbul earthquake or delay it? No, it will have no such effect.

News Source: 12punto