An earthquake with a magnitude above 6 may occur in the Adana region, warns the leading Turkish seismologist prof. Dr. Şükrü Ersoy, quoted by the CNN-Turk TV channel.
Ersoy spoke to the TV regarding today's earthquakes in Adana. A magnitude 4.6 earthquake rocked the southern Turkish province of Adana early this morning; three aftershocks followed with a magnitude of 4.5, 4 and 3.7.
There are fault lines in the Adana region along which an earthquake with a magnitude above 6 can occur, Prof. Ersoy said.
He pointed out that today's tremors were felt by people in a wide region - in the neighboring counties, including Kahramanmaras (epicenter of the devastating earthquakes in February 2012 – author's note).
Turkey is a country where earthquakes often happen. Therefore, we know that earthquakes like today's are normal, they are not destructive earthquakes. However, we can consider these tremors as a warning, mainly because we have problems regarding the building stock, said Prof. Ersoy.
For example, Adana is a region where the building stock is old. There is also a problem with the soil in the area, the scientist explained.
The last magnitude 6 earthquake in Adana in 1998, although not very strong, was devastating and caused many casualties, he said.
A total of 145 people died and over 3,500 were injured in the 6.3 magnitude Adana earthquake on June 7, 1998.
In order to make more in-depth comments about the seismic activity in Adana, it is necessary to analyze a situation in the region in the near future. In this area, there are faults along which an earthquake with a magnitude above 6 can occur. However, it would be a bit speculative now to say that today's earthquakes will be followed by a strong tremor, Prof. Ersoy concluded.
Adana is also among the districts that were heavily affected by the devastating earthquakes in February of this year with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6, in which more than 50 thousand people died.