Thursday, April 24

Hundreds of people were injured after a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Istanbul yesterday afternoon local time, with the entire city of 16 million people experiencing severe shaking for several seconds.

The earthquake struck around 25 miles southwest of Istanbul, with the epicenter located around 6 miles below the ground. This is relatively shallow for an earthquake, and shallow earthquakes can do more damage due to their closer proximity to the surface. Due to its shallow depth, it was felt as far as Ankara, Turkey's capital city, which is over 275 miles away from the epicenter. Thankfully, no one was killed in the quake, and no massive damage occurred.

The moment the quake struck, people rushed out of their homes, though the fact that it was a public holiday made things slightly better, as many people were enjoying the day outside. After an initial shaking period of around 13 seconds, there was a small break before aftershocks begun-- dozens of aftershocks were recorded, the strongest of which measured as a 5.9 on the Richter scale.

Scores of buildings were slightly damaged by the quake, but only 12 of them had to be evacuated for safety reasons. Apart from one old, worn-down building in one of the city's older districts, none of the affected buildings collapsed, though many residents have camped out in streets and parks or are sheltering in mosques out of fear of returning into their homes.

Hundreds of people were injured in the shaking, but officials have stated that the injuries were mainly due to panic attacks or falls after jumping from heights to escape buildings. Fortunately, there were no deaths in the natural disaster.

Unfortunately, earthquakes are common in Turkey, which lies on two major fault lines. The Anatolian Block is a small microplate situated in between several major tectonic plates. The Eurasian Plate lies to its north and northeast, covering the Black Sea and the Caucuses. Meanwhile, the Arabian Plate lies to its east, forming the East Anatolian Fault. The Arabian Plate's movement in previous years was the cause of the massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023, killing over 50,000 people.

Meanwhile, due to the Arabian Plate's northward movement, the Anatolian microplate is being forced to move west, grinding against the Eurasian Plate. The area where the two plates touch is known as the North Anatolian Fault, and this fault is responsible for yesterday's earthquake. Fears across western Turkey of a more devastating disaster are extremely high right now, as scientists have confirmed that the fault is long overdue for a major earthquake-- and the latest quake could be a sign that a larger rupture is on the way.

Fact of the Day (Today): The plastic or metal tip of your shoelace is called an aglet.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.

(Saint Francis of Assisi)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Slough (verb, SLUFF) - Slough is a formal verb used for the action of getting rid of something unwanted. It is usually used with off. Slough can also mean "to lose a dead layer of (skin)" or "to become shed or cast off."

In a Sentence: The editorial urges the mayor not to slough off responsibility for the errors in the report.