Kandilli Observatory Director Prof. Dr. Haluk Özener said, “This is an earthquake zone. There may be an earthquake of 7 or more at any time. When does it happen? Nobody knows. As the earth sciences community, the work we will do is medium and long-term,” he said.
Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, together with Japanese scientists, started measurements 5 years ago to understand the different features of the Marmara fault.
Ground movements are continuously recorded and data are collected with seismometers, which are used to determine the magnitude, duration, center and time of ground tremors. The devices, which are at the bottom of the Marmara Sea at 1200 meters, are placed at different points of the sea every 6 months. Stating that the studies have continued for 5 years, Prof. Dr. Haluk Özener explained the details of the research.
FEATURE OF THE FAULT IN MARMARA
prof. Dr. Haluk Özener stated that they analyzed the characteristics of the fault in Marmara with seismometers installed on the sea floor in Marmara, and said, “This study is only one of dozens of studies conducted in Marmara. Therefore, we have very valuable scientists, one of their works. For 5 years, we carried out a project with the participation of different universities, with the support of our teachers, as a Turkish and Japanese project, in partnership with Japanese and Turkish. I was the leader of the Turkish side. As a result of the 5-year project, we found out the characteristics of the fault in Marmara, the amount of slip, which fault segment caused an earthquake at what depth, and which fault segment was quieter, with the seafloor seismometers we installed on the seafloor in Marmara, and the expansion measuring devices. We share the results of our scientific studies.”
“LONG-TERM WORKS”
Özener said, “There are studies on different types of seafloor. The locations of the fault are mapped with ships. Our studies also collect data on them. We have devices that are at the bottom of 1200 meters of the Marmara Sea. We throw away the devices, take them after 6 months, collect the data and put them in different places. Therefore, we had a chance to understand the characteristics of the fault from side to side. The works are still in progress. These devices are still collecting data on the Marmara sea floor. We will get that data in March. We will evaluate it later, but it is long-term work.”
“THE EARTHQUAKE MAY BE OVER 7 AT ANY TIME”
Özener said, “This is an earthquake zone. There may be an earthquake of 7 or more at any time. When does it happen? Nobody knows. As the earth sciences community, our work is medium and long-term. What needs to be done in the shortest term is to secure the building stock. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has a study that determines the safety and current status of buildings with the rapid scanning method. There is a huge difference between the applications made before and after February 6th. This is due to the fact that our society takes action after the egg hits the door. "What needs to be done now is to look at the quality of the wholesale building stock," he said.