The Anatolian Plate Causes Powerful Earthquake in Turkiye
- AP Photo/Hussein Malla.
VIVA – The powerful earthquake hit Turkiye and Syria on Monday, February 6, 2023. Turkiye’s earthquake was also reported to have aftershocks at a later time, with great strength, and was felt in various cities.
Turkiye is one of the countries that are prone to earthquakes then this disaster had been decades since one this large last hit. It turns out this earthquake was caused by the Anatolian Plate.
The Anatolian Plate is situated in Turkiye and forms part of a complex and comparatively active system of tectonic activity in the region with its surrounding plates. The plate shares a boundary with the Eurasian Plate, the African Plate, the Arabian Plate, and the Aegean Sea Plate.
This region is perhaps most well-known for the North Anatolian Fault, the east-west striking continental transform fault situated in northern Turkey, which produces persistent earthquake activity along the fault.
Perbatasan dua lempeng benua.
- U-Report
This position, in turn, results in continuous earthquake activity along the fault. The region can also be subdivided into three smaller tectonic regions:
Pontides
Anatolide-Taurides
and the Arabian Platform
The Anatolian plate was originally formed in the Oligocene (geological time scale about 34 million years ago). Much of Turkiye's geology shows the presence of petrology (rocks and their formation processes).
It is also largely formed through the presence of ophiolites (fragments of oceanic crust and lower mantle layers) that are widespread and formed through the obduction of the Triassic Tethyan Ocean.
Turkiye's geology is also characterized by ophiolites and ophiolitic melanges formed by the closure of several Triassic oceans. It is because of these geological reasons that Turkiye is one of the most active earthquake zones in the world.
