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On the 6th February 2023 an Earthquake hit central Turkey and Western Syria. Many people were injured and buildings damaged. Read on to learn more about the earthquake and how you can help those affected.
Earthquakes are a natural disaster that happen when ground suddenly shakes.
They happen when two large pieces of the Earth’s crust (called Tectonic plates) suddenly slip. This means they are more common in countries that are on the edge of tectonic plates.
Scientists use a scale to measure how strong an earthquake is. This scale measures the energy that is released by the earthquake which makes it very accurate. Take a look at the table on the right to understand more about the effects of different magnitudes.
The Earthquake in Syria and Turkey was of magnitude 7.8, meaning that it was a strong earthquake and caused a lot of damage.
When the ground shakes and buildings collapse, people can get quite badly injured, and they may even die.
It is thought that about 6,500 buildings have collapsed as a result of this earthquake and many thousands of people across Syria and Turkey died. On top of this, many people have lost their homes and livelihoods and have found themselves sleeping outside or in their cars in freezing winter temperatures and don’t have access to warm and dry clothes or food.
If you want to do something to help, the power is in your hands to help make a difference.
You can:
If you’d like to learn more about natural disasters, check out the page on UN Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
