Rapid Source Characterization of the 2023 Turkey Earthquake Sequence

Will Yeck wearing an orange climbing helmet standing next to a woman wearing a grey climbing helmet

Dr. William Yeck
Seismologist – USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center
Golden, Colorado
Host: Dr. Matthew Weingarten

Wednesday, March 15, 2023
1pm – CSL 422 (speaker will be virtual)
or via zoom

Abstract
The February 6, 2023, Mw 7.8 earthquake near Gaziantep, Turkey, and the following Mw 7.5 aftershock resulted in significant human and economic loss. In this seminar, I will overview the seismotectonic history of central Turkey, the rapid response and characterization of these earthquakes by the USGS National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC), and preliminary seismic observations of these complex ruptures. The NEIC is well practiced in rapidly characterizing large, impactful earthquakes. Therefore the immediate characterization of these events was quick and effective. In the days following the earthquakes, it became apparent from imagery and SAR observations that the surface ruptures for these events were extensive and complex. These observations with additional dense strong-motion and GNSS data were critical to model the kinematics of the earthquakes. We see that rupture of the Mw 7.8 began on a splay of the East Anatolian Fault before propagating to the primary fault system. The Mw 7.5 aftershock had bilateral rupture along the E-W striking Sürgü-Çardak fault. Our response to this event highlights the more routine and rapid role space-based observations can play in NEIC event response.