Prof. Dr. Sözbilir said, "That fault has not yet ruptured," and warned: "It can produce earthquakes up to 6.8."

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Professor Dr. Hasan Sözbilir, a faculty member of the Department of Geology at Dokuz Eylul University and a member of the AFAD Scientific Support Board, shared the results of their research on the faults in the region that have not yet ruptured following the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş.

Sözbilir told AA correspondent that two major earthquakes occurred on February 6, 2023, centered in Pazarcık and Elbistan, and that these two faults are located on the East Anatolian Fault Line. He pointed out that many scientists are conducting research on other faults in the region, and especially emphasized that the faults that did not rupture during these major earthquakes have come to the forefront, stating, "There is a fault called the Maraş Fault Zone that runs through Kahramanmaraş. That fault has not yet ruptured. This fault has the potential to produce earthquakes up to 6.8."

Sözbilir mentioned that they opened 5 trenches on the southernmost active branch of the Maraş Fault Zone, revealing the age of this fault, how many earthquakes it produced in the past, and when it last produced an earthquake. He stated, "We have obtained the results of this study, and according to this, we proposed to our government that the southernmost part of the Maraş Fault Zone, which has the highest activity, should be closed in terms of construction. It is not as long as the East Anatolian Fault, but we determined that it produced 3 earthquakes in the last 10,000 years and has an earthquake production interval of nearly 3,000 years."

Sözbilir reported that the last earthquake on the Maraş Fault Zone occurred in the 1500s and that they obtained data indicating that earthquakes originating from the East Anatolian Fault also affected this branch.

YEDİSU SEGMENT AND ÖLÜDENİZ FAULT

Sözbilir stated that in the first earthquake on February 6, segments such as Narlı, Erkenek, Pazarcık, and Amanos ruptured, while in the second earthquake, the Çardak and Doğanşehir faults ruptured, noting that the Malatya Fault, which continues northward, has not yet ruptured.

Sözbilir explained that the fault that had not previously ruptured between Erkenek and Pütürge ruptured during the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that occurred on October 16 in Malatya, with its epicenter in the Kale district, and pointed out that there are no unbroken parts of this fault towards Elazığ, while there are unbroken parts on the Bingöl side.

"EARTHQUAKES ARE EXPECTED THERE"

Professor Dr. Sözbilir noted: "There are unbroken parts on the Bingöl side further north. This is the area where the Yedisu Segment is located. It is a branch of the North Anatolian Fault. The part of the East Anatolian Fault on the Bingöl side has not yet ruptured either. In other words, earthquakes are expected there. Because they are in the seismic gap class. That is, the earthquake interval indicates that it should produce earthquakes in the present day.

Another important area, of course, is the Ölüdeniz Fault as we move south from Pazarcık. This fault also did not rupture during the February 6 earthquakes. Fault segments within our country’s borders, such as Sakçagöz, Yesemek, and Hacıpaşa, have not yet ruptured. We are also conducting studies on them."