Rapid characterization of the February 2023 Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, earthquake sequence

Dara Elyse Goldberg; Tuncay Taymaz; Nadine G. Reitman; Alexandra Elise Hatem; Seda Yolsal-Çevikbilen; William D. Barnhart; Tahir Serkan Irmak; David J. Wald; Taylan Öcalan; William L. Yeck; Berkan Özkan; Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe; David R. Shelly; Eric M. Thompson; Christopher DuRoss; Paul S. Earle; Richard W. Briggs; Harley M. Benz; Ceyhun Erman; Ali Hasan Doğan; Cemali Altuntaş

doi:10.1785/0320230009

Rapid characterization of the February 2023 Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, earthquake sequence

The Seismic Record

By: Dara Elyse Goldberg, Tuncay Taymaz, Nadine G. Reitman, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Seda Yolsal-Çevikbilen, William D. Barnhart, Tahir Serkan Irmak, David J. Wald, Taylan Öcalan, William L. Yeck, Berkan Özkan, Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, David R. Shelly, Eric M. Thompson, Christopher DuRoss, Paul S. Earle, Richard W. Briggs, Harley M. Benz, Ceyhun Erman, Ali Hasan Doğan, and Cemali Altuntaş

https://doi.org/10.1785/0320230009

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Abstract

The 6 February 2023 $M_{w}$ 7.8 Pazarcık and subsequent $M_{w}$ 7.5 Elbistan earthquakes generated strong ground shaking that resulted in catastrophic human and economic loss across south‐central Türkiye and northwest Syria. The rapid characterization of the earthquakes, including their location, size, fault geometries, and slip kinematics, is critical to estimate the impact of significant seismic events. The U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) provides real‐time monitoring of earthquakes globally, including rapid source characterization and impact estimates. Here, we describe the seismic characterization products generated and made available by the NEIC over the two weeks following the start of the earthquake sequence in southeast Türkiye, their evolution, and how they inform our understanding of regional seismotectonics and hazards. The kinematics of rupture for the two earthquakes was complex, involving multiple fault segments. Therefore, incorporating observations from rupture mapping was critical for characterizing these events. Dense local datasets facilitated robust source characterization and impact assessment once these observations were obtained and converted to NEIC product input formats. We discuss how we may improve the timeliness of NEIC products for rapid assessment of future seismic hazards, particularly in the case of complex ruptures.

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Additional publication details
Publication type	Article
Publication Subtype	Journal Article
Title	Rapid characterization of the February 2023 Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, earthquake sequence
Series title	The Seismic Record
DOI	10.1785/0320230009
Volume	3
Issue	2
Year Published	2023
Language	English
Publisher	Seismological Society of America
Contributing office(s)	Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center
Description	12 p.
First page	156
Last page	167
Country	Syria, Turkey
Google Analytic Metrics	Metrics page