Turkey: Tragic Surprises and Tense Anticipation

Since the earthquake in 1999 near Izmit, Turkey has been in a tense anticipation of a potential subsequent earthquake dangerously close to Istanbul. While the threat on the North Anatolian fault persists, in February 2023 the Earth has confronted Turkey with an unexpected and unique earthquake doublet on the East Anatolian fault. A truly heartbreaking tragedy was exacerbated partly by poor building standards and corruption. This chapter retells the interesting earthquake history of what is today Turkey, explains the supershear rupture propagation, and a possible indicator of an upcoming earthquake.