Expert statements following the Hakkari earthquake

In Hakkari, evaluating the occurrence of three earthquakes within half an hour, Prof. Naci Görür stated, "The Arabian Plate is moving northward, compressing Eastern Anatolia. As a result of these earthquakes in Hakkari, landslides may also develop in various places," and recommended taking urgent measures for the limited transportation routes. Prof. Dr. Okan Tüysüz said, "As we have always said, this region is one of the areas where the Arabian Plate is actively pushing Anatolia northward. It means that it has experienced earthquakes in the past and will experience earthquakes in the future."

"LANDSLIDES MAY DEVELOP"

Evaluating the earthquakes in Hakkari, Prof. Naci Görür noted the following:

"There was a 4.7 magnitude earthquake in Yazılı-Yüksekova, Hakkari, followed by a 4.6 magnitude aftershock. The earthquakes are likely within the Bitlis-Zagros Thrust Belt. It is possible for an earthquake to occur in this region because the Arabian Plate is moving northward, compressing Eastern Anatolia. Therefore, there may be activity in the Bitlis-Zagros thrust belt. As a result of these earthquakes in Hakkari, landslides may also develop in various places. Since transportation routes in Hakkari are very limited, it is very important to build alternative routes for a possible emergency response. Get well soon."

Prof. Dr. Okan Tüysüz, who joined the NTV broadcast, also made an assessment regarding the consecutive earthquakes in Yüksekova, Hakkari.

"POTENTIAL FOR A LARGER EARTHQUAKE EXISTS"

Tüysüz said the following: 

"First of all, I would like to offer my best wishes. It is not a common situation for earthquakes to occur one after another on the last day of the year. Different values were given. According to the latest values, both are 4.5 in magnitude. One occurred west of Yüksekova, Hakkari, and the other to the north. There is a distance of 30-40 km between them.

This region is under the influence of several faults, which we call the Yüksekova-Şemdinli and Başkale faults.

When we look at past earthquakes, it was affected by an earthquake originating in Iran in 1930, with a magnitude of 7.2. This is a quite high magnitude earthquake. It caused significant damage to Yüksekova.

There were two earthquakes, one with a magnitude of 5.9 in Sütlüce, Hakkari on January 25, 2005, and one with a magnitude of 5.2 in Yüksekova on October 27, 2011. There was a magnitude 6 earthquake in Başkale in 1908. The most intense of these was the earthquake originating in Iran.

As we have always said, this region is one of the areas where the Arabian Plate is actively pushing Anatolia northward. It means that it has experienced earthquakes in the past and will experience earthquakes in the future.

It cannot be said that today's earthquakes are a precursor to a major earthquake. Is there a potential for a larger earthquake? Yes, such a potential exists. This potential is not related to the earthquakes that have occurred. We know that the faults we are talking about can produce a magnitude 7 earthquake. My opinion is that such a large earthquake will not occur in the near future. The reality of earthquakes must be taken into account, and there should be no settlements on the fault line. It is impossible to know whether an earthquake is a precursor or if a major earthquake will follow. We do not have an expectation of a very large earthquake for this region for now."

News Source: 12punto