The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) is working on updating Türkiye's earthquake hazard map, TÜBİTAK President Hasan Mandal reported recently, to share a comprehensive list of active and live fault lines with the public by the end of 2025.
Under the leadership of TÜBİTAK, in collaboration with the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA), the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (TBB),100 researchers and 22 universities, the "Türkiye Earthquake Hazard Map" update project has established the Research Platform for Determining the Paleoseismological Features of Türkiye's Active Faults.
For approximately 10 months, the platform has been conducting studies at 19 different points on 128 active faults as part of the Türkiye Paleoseismology Research Project (P/SISMOTÜRK). The work is being carried out by a team of 100 scientists and researchers and 90 scholarship students from the relevant departments of the participating universities.
Mandal and Hasan Sözbilir, a Dokuz Eylül University (DEÜ) General Geology Department lecturer and AFAD Scientific Support Board member, examined the studies in Pazarcık, the epicenter of the first 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6, 2023, as part of the project.
In an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), Mandal recalled the paleoseismological research conducted in Pazarcık, where the first 7.7 magnitude earthquake occurred on Feb. 6, 2023. He noted that they still have not forgotten the pain of the disaster and are working day and night to create science-based solutions for the future.
Mandal explained that the "Türkiye Earthquake Hazard Map" will be updated through paleoseismology-based studies on active faults or fault segments.
"By the end of 2025, we will have mapped all the active fault lines in Türkiye and shared them with the public. In a meeting chaired by Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır, with the participation of our AFAD president, our MTA president and our general director, public decision-makers came together for the first time."
"This is happening for the first time. At least in a scientific sense, we have learned a lesson. This is a reality for the whole world and our country, with the events of climate change, this situation will be further triggered. We know how strongly the AFAD worked after the earthquake, but we need to take the necessary precautions based on scientific foundations so that there is no need for such strong responses," he added.
Hasan Sözbilir, Dokuz Eylül University (DEÜ) General Geology Department lecturer and AFAD Scientific Support board member, stated that they had opened two trenches so far in their work on the Narlı fault as part of the project.
In the examination of the trenches, Sözbilir reported that the Narlı fault did not rupture during the Feb. 6, 2023, earthquakes, and a new fault line was discovered. He explained: "We can see how the fault moved with the earthquake. When we look at this movement, we have determined that it does not match the movement of the Narlı fault very well. So, a different type of fault movement occurred here. Therefore, this is an independent fault from the Narlı fault, and we think it is connected to the East Anatolian Fault."
Ercan Aksoy, a faculty member of the Geological Engineering Department at Fırat University, noted that it is pleasing to see scientists from various universities in Türkiye coming together for this project.
Doctoral scholar and geological engineer Büşra Yerli, who participated in the studies, expressed her joy at being part of such a team in the early years of her career, noting that significant work is being accomplished in the field.
