2011-10-23
Earthquake in Turkey on 23 October 2011
On 23 October 2011, at 10:41 UTC (12:41 Swiss local time) an earthquake with Magnitude 7.2 occurred in eastern Turkey near the city of Van. The mainshock was followed by numerous aftershocks including strong ones with magnitudes up to 5.7. Earthquakes in that region are caused by the collision of the African and European Plates, which converge there with approximately 24 mm/yr.
Read more...Because the hypocenter was only 5 km beneath the surface, this quake caused, according to current estimates, between 500 and 1000 fatalities and severe damage to infrastructure. Turkey lies in a tectonically active region and is often hit by large earthquakes.
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