Turkey’s Safest and Riskiest Cities During Earthquakes
Geological Engineer Fahri Çelik recently conducted a study on the safest cities in Turkey, concluding that the cities along the Black Sea are the safest. Gümüşhane was ranked as the safest city in Turkey, followed by Trabzon at second place, and Rize and Zonguldak at third.
Interestingly, Istanbul was ranked in sixth place, with Çelik attributing its safety to the presence of mountains and hills. He also mentioned that the provinces of Bodrum and Antalya are resilient as well.
Çelik also highlighted the fact that despite the existence of a fault line along the Black Sea border, if there is an earthquake in the mentioned provinces, it lasts a short time due to the presence of mountains in the region. In contrast, the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Kahramanmaraş on February 6 was prolonged because it hit a flat area.
Addressing the risk of earthquakes, Çelik pointed out that Hakkari is the province with the highest probability of an earthquake. However, he assured that even if an earthquake were to occur in Hakkari, the topography of the region would prevent major destruction.
Looking ahead, Çelik expressed concern about the possibility of an earthquake in Syria, particularly in the Damascus region. He warned that if an earthquake were to occur near the Syrian border and move towards the north instead of the south, there could be potential damage in Turkey’s Southeastern Anatolia Region.
Overall, the findings of Çelik’s research shed light on the varying degrees of safety across different regions in Turkey and the importance of geopolitical and geological factors in assessing seismic risks.
