The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km, about 7 km to
the west of the town of Gölmarmara in Izmir Province, southwest Turkey,
slightly after 6.50 pm local time (slightly after 3.50 pm GMT) on Saturday 27 May 2017. There are no reports of any fatalities associated
with this event, but at least one person injured and a number of
buildings destroyed. The event was felt across much of western Turkey.
Damage following the 27 May 2017 Izmir Earthquake. Daily Sabah.
The majority of Asian Turkey lies on the Anatolian Plate, which is being
pushed to the west by the northward movement of the Arabian Plate,
which is in turn being pushed by the African Plate, further to the
south. This creates as 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 approximate location of the 27 May 2017 Izmir Province Earthquake. USGS.
This 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. The international non-profit
organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
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