On Thursday 14 June 2012, slightly after 8.50 am local time (slightly after 5.50 am GMT), the eastern Turkish province of Şirnak was hit by an Earthquake close to the border with Syria and Iraq. According to the United States Geological Survey the quake was centered about 31 km south of the provincial capitol (also Şirnak) at a depth of 9.6 km, and measured 5.3 on the Richter Scale. There are reports of some damage to buildings and injuries in the region, though most of the injuries are said to be minor.
Map showing the location of the 14 June Earthquake. USGS.
Şirnak is located on the northernmost part of the Arabian Plate, close to its margin with the Anatolian Plate which underlies most of Turkey. The Arabian Plate is being pushed into the Eurasian and Anatolian Plates by the northward motion of Africa, pushing the Anatolian Plate westward in the process. This creates a great deal of tectonic stress in the rocks underlying Turkey, with the country being crisscrossed by a series of faults, and therefore highly prone to Earthquakes.
Map showing the position and motion of the Arabian and neighboring plates. Observatories and Research Facilities for European Seismology.
See also Earthquake off the Turkish coast, Dodecanese Islands and Crete shaken by Earthquake, Major earthquake in Van Province, eastern Turkey, Earthquake in Mojen, northern Iran and Earthquakes on Sciency Thoughts YouTube.
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