ANKARA (Kashmir English): In a recent development, a powerful earthquake jolted Turkey and nearby areas, causing panic among the residents. According to Turkey’s state disaster management agency, the earthquake struck at 7:53 p.m. local time on Sunday in Balikesir province, which is located near Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul.
According to the Reuters news agency, there are no initial reports of any casualties or property damage.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the social media platform “X” that Afad’s emergency teams had started inspections in Istanbul and neighboring provinces.
No negative conditions have been reported so far. According to Afad, the depth of the earthquake was 11 kilometers (6.8 miles), while the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) recorded its magnitude at 6.19 and a depth of 10 kilometers.
How and why do earthquakes occur?
Earthquakes are natural disasters that have killed millions of people around the world. According to experts, the Earth’s crust is made up of three large plates.
The first plate is called Eurasian, the second is Indian, and the third is Arabian. When underground heat accumulates, these plates move.
The Earth shakes, and this phenomenon is called an earthquake. Earthquake waves travel in a circular pattern in all directions.
Earthquakes or volcanic eruptions are more common in areas located at the junction of these plates. Experts say that areas where a major earthquake has occurred once can experience another major earthquake. Two-thirds of Pakistan is on fault lines, which means that earthquakes can occur in these areas at any time.
All cities from Karachi to Islamabad, Quetta to Peshawar, Makran to Abbottabad, and Gilgit to Chitral are affected by earthquakes, with Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan being the most sensitive. Pakistan is the fifth most sensitive country in the world in terms of earthquakes.
Pakistan is located on the northern border of the Indian Plate, where it meets the Eurasian Plate. The process of subduction of the Eurasian Plate and advancement of the Indian Plate has been going on for millions of years. All the fault lines passing under two-thirds of Pakistan’s area are active, where low or medium-level earthquakes occur periodically.
Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are located on the northernmost border of the Indian Plate, so these areas are considered the most sensitive. Major cities like Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, and Chakwal are included in Zone Three. The cities of Quetta, Chaman, Loralai, and Mastung are located on the western edge of the Indian Plate, so it is also called the high-risk zone or Zone Four.
Some coastal areas of Sindh, including Karachi, are on the dangerous fault line zone. This coastal area is located at the junction of 3 plates, which poses a risk of earthquakes and tsunamis.
Experts say that in Pakistan, only the areas of upper Sindh and central Punjab are not on the fault line, which is why these areas can be considered safe from the risk of earthquakes.
On the other hand, in ancient times, strange legends and stories were attributed to earthquakes. For example, we heard in our childhood that a huge bull was carrying the earth on one of its horns. When that horn changes, an earthquake occurs.
