Several people have reportedly been injured following an Earthquake in Bingöl Province in eastern Turkey on Thursday 3 December 2015. The United States Geological Survey reported the quake as having a Magnitude of 5.5 and occurring at a depth of 6 km beneath Bingöl Province slightly before 1.30 am local time (slightly after 11.30 pm on Wednesday 2 December GMT). All of the injuries are thought to have occurred as people evacuated buildings, there are no reports of any direct injures or damage associated with the event.
The approximate location of the 3 December 2015 Bingöl Province Earthquake. Google Maps.
Bingöl Province lies at the boundary between the Eurasian Plate to the north and east, the Anatolian Plate to the west and the Arabian Plate to the south. The Arabian Plate is being pushed north and west by the movement
of the African Plate, further to the south. This leads to a zone of
tectonic activity within the province, as the Arabian and Anatolian plates are pushed
together, along the East Anatolian Fault, and past one-another, along
the Dead Sea Transform.
This movement also leads to a zone of faulting along the northern part
of Turkey, the North Anatolian Fault Zone, as the Anatolian Plate is
pushed past the Eurasian Plate, which underlies the Black Sea and
Crimean Peninsula (transform faulting). This is not a simple process,
as the two plates constantly stick together, then break apart as the
pressure builds up, leading to Earthquakes, which can be some distance
from the actual fault zone.
The northward movement of the African and Arabian Plates also causes
folding and uplift in the Caucasus Mountains, which separate Georgia
from Russia. Again this is not a smooth process, with the rocks sticking
together, then moving sharply as the pressure builds up enough to break
them appart, which can also lead to Earthquakes in the region.
Plate movements and fault zones around the Anatolian Plate. Mike Norton/Wikimedia Commons.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. If you felt this quake, or were in
the area but did not (which is also useful information) then you can
report it to the British Geological Survey here.
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