Summary:
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Starting to delve deeply into the science behind the seismic events in Turkey on Monday seems almost insensitive.
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The time for their rescue is fast shrinking, as more than 22,000 deaths have already been officially ruled out, and an undetermined number of people remain trapped.
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The ground has been deformed along and close to the East Anatolian Fault line.
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The motion is “left-lateral” for the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that occurred on Monday at 01:17 GMT and the magnitude 7.5 event at 10:24.
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Scientists will use the Sentinel map to understand better what occurred on Monday.
Starting to delve deeply into the science behind the seismic events in Turkey on Monday seems almost insensitive.
The time for their rescue is fast shrinking, as more than 22,000 deaths have already been officially ruled out and an undetermined number of people remain trapped.
However, science will continue. Future lives will be saved thanks to the knowledge gained from this incident. The most accurate description of how the ground shook because of the vast amount of energy that was released has been given so far.
The data behind it was collected early on Friday morning by the Sentinel-1A satellite of the European Union as it traveled from north to south over Turkey at a height of 700 km (435 miles).
With the help of its onboard radar, the Sentinel can detect the ground at any time of day or night.
It often looks at this area of the earth that is prone to earthquakes, keeping an eye on the small changes in height at the surface.
Except, of course, that the Monday alterations were anything but subtle; they were tremendous. The ground twisted, gave way, and in some spots, tore.
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Why was the earthquake extremely dangerous why?
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How do rescue crews get to victims buried by debris?
Researchers compare “before” and “after” views using the interferometry technique. But you really don’t have to be an expert to understand what the most recent Sentinel map means for Turkey.
The blue and red colors in this picture show how things have moved away from and toward the satellite since the last time it flew over the country.
The ground has been deformed along and close to the East Anatolian Fault line.
The motion is “left-lateral” for the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that occurred first on Monday at 01:17 GMT and the magnitude 7.5 event at 10:24. Whichever side of the fault you are on, the other side has shifted to the left, according to this statement. and, in some cases, by several meters.
The rupture lines have shockingly passed through settlements, including many locations where they have passed directly through buildings.
Scientists will use the Sentinel map to understand better what occurred on Monday. This knowledge will be added to their models of how earthquakes in the area work and, in the end, to the risk assessments that the Turkish government will use to plan the recovery.
There will be a lot of talk about how the two big earthquakes are related and what that might mean for future instability.