Geoff Abers

Geophysicist, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Geoffrey Abers is a geophysicist and chair of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University. He says this earthquake was particularly destructive because it occurred on land at shallow depths in the Earth’s crust.

Abers says:

“Turkey sits on several plate boundaries, between the Africa, Arabia and Eurasian plates. The plate boundaries all form large faults that are shallow and on land, including the East Anatolian fault – which probably produced this earthquake.

“Most of the largest earthquakes occur offshore and so produce less shaking in cities and towns. This earthquake was centered on land at shallow depths in the Earth’s crust, allowing very strong shaking to occur across a wide, populated region.

“Based on the footage, it also looks like there are a sizable number of buildings in the epicentral area that might not be built to fully modern standards, perhaps older masonry structures.

“Modern construction standards, if adhered to, can result in buildings that could withstand most levels of earthquake shaking. I expect that we will understand the building situation better in coming weeks, as engineers have a chance to inspect the region.”