The epicentre was about 26 km east of the Turkish city of Nurdagi at a depth of about 18 km on the East Anatolian Fault. The quake radiated towards the northeast, bringing devastation to central Turkey and Syria.
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HOW BAD WAS THIS EARTHQUAKE?
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Compared with the 6.2 earthquake that hit central Italy in 2016 and killed some 300 people, the Turkey-Syria earthquake released 250 times as much energy
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WHY WAS IT SO SEVERE?
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In those, solid rock plates are pushing up against each other across a vertical fault line, building stress until one finally slips in a horizontal motion, releasing a tremendous amount of strain that can trigger an earthquake.
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WHAT KIND OF AFTERSHOCKS CAN BE EXPECTED?
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Eleven minutes after the initial quake, the region was hit by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock. A 7.5-magnitude quake came hours later, followed by another 6.0 spasm in the afternoon.
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WHAT MIGHT THE FINAL DEATH TOLL BE?
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Earthquakes of similar magnitudes in populated areas have killed thousands of people. Nepal's 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 2015 claimed nearly 9,000 lives.