earthquake
Researchers before anniversary: Quakes were announced beforehand
An aerial view shows buildings destroyed by the earthquake. photo
© Hussein Malla/AP/dpa
Months before the earthquake with serious consequences in Turkey and Syria, the catastrophe was on the horizon. Problem: The data could not be interpreted.
The knowledge now gained should be used in the future to monitor other regions at risk, such as the 16 million metropolis of Istanbul. According to researchers, the city is likely to experience an earthquake with a magnitude of over 7 in the near future.
On February 6th, two earthquakes shook Turkey and northern Syria. According to official figures, 60,000 people died. Several hundred thousand buildings collapsed or were severely damaged. The reason for this was partly poor building structure. Experts had repeatedly warned that a strong earthquake would shake the region.
According to the current state of research, earthquakes cannot be predicted in the short term. Even with the knowledge we have now gained, this is not possible, explained Bohnhoff. “But we can speak of increased probabilities if there are corresponding observations and pass this information on to the local authorities. They can then issue warnings if necessary.”