A magnitude 7 earthquake may occur in Cyprus: Earthquake Expert Yoshinori Moriwaki

There may be a magnitude 7 earthquake in Cyprus as Cyprus is is a risky place in terms of earthquakes.

According to Master civil engineer, architect and earthquake expert Yoshinori Moriwaki, the Eastern Anatolian Fault extends from Kahramanmaraş and Hatay to Adana in Turkiye and then to Cyprus adding that “There may be a magnitude 7 earthquake in Cyprus.

The Japanese expert, who attended the earthquake symposiums held in Siirt, made evaluations about the fault lines in Turkey to the AA correspondent. Stating that the Eastern Anatolian Fault Line extends from Elazığ, Kahramanmaraş and Hatay to Adana and then to Cyprus, Moriwaki said, "There may be an earthquake of around 7 (magnitude) in Cyprus. Cyprus is one of the dangerous regions in this regard. I can say that this region is the first" 

Yoshinori Moriwaki continued:

"Earthquakes in Turkey go one after the other like dominoes. Bingöl-Karlıova, Muş and Bitlis are the second region. The third region is the Aegean side. There are very thin and short fault lines on the Aegean side. That's why there are no big earthquakes, but they happen frequently.

The fourth region is the Marmara Region. The earthquake that occurred in Gölcük on the northern branch of the North Anatolian Fault Line in 1999 also affected Yalova. There are roughly 8 fault lines in the North Anatolian Fault Line. "When one of the fault lines breaks in the Marmara Region, an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 may occur, and if several of them break together, an earthquake of magnitude 7 may occur."

Moriwaki stated that a major earthquake is not expected in the region because the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023 released a large amount of accumulated energy.

Reminding that the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş also affected Hatay, which has soft ground, Moriwaki stated that if an earthquake occurs in the sea on the Cyprus side, this place may be affected again due to the ground.

Yoshinori Moriwaki said that there is a risk of an earthquake beyond the Eastern Anatolian Fault Line, but it is not possible to give time for this.

"ESPECIALLY BUILDINGS CONSTRUCTED AFTER 2000 ARE GOOD IN GENERAL"

Referring to the importance of accepting the reality of earthquakes and being prepared, the Japanese expert noted that the damage can be prevented to a large extent if the earthquake is prepared.

Giving suggestions to people who will buy or rent a house about what they should pay attention to, Moriwaki said:

"First of all, is the ground good or bad? You can see this on the internet by region. If the ground is good, the earthquake goes fast and the shaking does not occur much. If it is soft, it is bad. There was an earthquake in Izmit in 1999, there is not much problem in Istanbul, but despite its distance, it is in Avcılar The buildings collapsed a lot because the ground was soft. Secondly, is there a permit or is it a building for which permission was obtained? If it was not, it is not clear what it was built with. Thirdly, it is not clear whether it was built before or after 2000. "It was built because there was a regulation change in 1999. Especially the buildings built after 2000 are generally good. Since it is said that the ground should be drilled and checked, and if the ground is bad, improvement should be made, we can say that the buildings built after 2000 are good."

"WE NEED TO MAKE URBAN TRANSFORMATION"

The Japanese expert stated that urban transformation or reinforcement should be carried out as needed in order to be prepared for an earthquake.

Moriwaki said, "You will look at the columns. When the reinforcement inside the concrete rusts, it swells and breaks the concrete. So, in case of an earthquake, the building may collapse. Municipalities need to carry out urban transformation. Those living in the buildings must also give permission for the transformation. There are also buildings that can be strengthened."