American seismologist: Türkiye earthquakes not to affect Azerbaijan

The earthquake and aftershocks that occurred in Türkiye will most likely not affect Azerbaijan.

Thomas Heaton, professor of engineering seismology at the California Institute of Technology, told Report.

According to him, it would be very unusual to observe the same seismic activity in Azerbaijan now, since the country is quite far from the epicentre of the earthquake on February 6.

The professor noted that the recent earthquake in Türkiye could not have been predicted.

"This earthquake could not have been predicted, although I know that there will be people who will claim that they knew that 'something was going to happen'."

According to Heaton, these earthquakes occurred in the Anatolian Fault system, at the boundary of the plate fault.

"Earthquakes occur in clusters. About 5 per cent of earthquakes are followed by a larger one," Heaton added.

According to him, although the probability that the largest earthquake in this region has already occurred is high, still the possibility of another strong earthquake cannot be ruled out.

"The frequency of aftershocks varies greatly, but their average frequency decreases. So, in the second week, there are usually 1/2 times fewer aftershocks than in the first week. Tremors can last for years," the seismologist added.

In this regard, the professor noted the importance of studying the methods of construction of buildings that withstand sufficiently strong shocks.

On February 6, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 occurred in Türkiye. The natural disaster affected 10 provinces of Türkiye, in which 13.5 million people live.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency in these provinces, and a 7-day mourning period was declared in the country in memory of the victims.