AFAD announced that a 5.9 magnitude earthquake occurred in Kale district of Malatya at 10.46 today. It was reported that the earthquake was also felt in surrounding provinces. The Malatya fault had been examined by experts for a while; According to the latest evaluations, it was stated that this fault, which has not been broken for 3 thousand years, could produce an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude.
AFADAccording to the information on the official website of , the earthquake was recorded to be the epicenter of Kale district and occurred at a depth of 10.07 kilometers. The earthquake was also felt in surrounding provinces such as Diyarbakır, Tunceli and Elazığ.
Teams Started Field Scanning Studies
Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya stated that after the earthquake, all teams of AFAD and relevant institutions started field scanning activities. In his post on his social media account“All teams of AFAD and our relevant institutions started field scanning in the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Malatya’s Kale district.” he said.
Minister Yerlikaya stated that they are closely following the developments in the surrounding provinces, expressed his wishes to get well soon to the citizens affected by the earthquake and prayed for the country’s protection from disasters.
Malatya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Sami Er stated that they have not received any problems so far and that field scanning efforts are continuing.
History of Malatya Fault
Malatya faultwas last subjected to a detailed review in early 2024. Prof. from Dokuz Eylül University. Dr. Hasan Sözbilir emphasized the importance of this fault and said, “Malatya Fault is an important fault line. This fault, right next to the second major earthquake, could seriously affect Malatya if it breaks.
“It is 200 kilometers long and consists of 3 fault segments.” made the statement. Sözbilir stated that each segment of the fault could produce a 7.2 magnitude earthquake when broken alone. Research conducted to date shows that the Malatya Fault has not broken for 3 thousand years.
Information about Malatya and Sürgü Faults
Malatya fault is also known as Sürgü fault and is 220 kilometers long in total. The section passing through the west of Malatya is approximately 160 kilometers long and starts from Sürgü and extends to Kemaliye. This fault combines with the Ovacık fault to form a fault line of 220 kilometers in total. There are also shorter faults passing through Malatya.
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