Prof. Dr. Hasan Sözbilir pointed to three places in Izmir and warned: The time has come

Prof. Dr. Hasan Sözbilir, Director of Dokuz Eylül University (DEÜ) Earthquake Research and Application Center and Member of AFAD Earthquake Science Board, issued critical warnings regarding active faults in İzmir.

Sözbilir reminded that 200 of the 485 active faults in Türkiye are located in Western Anatolia, emphasizing that these faults have the power to produce earthquakes of magnitude 6 to 7.

"TUZLA, GÜLBAHÇE AND SEFERİHİSAR FAULTS ARE CRITICAL"

Prof. Dr. Sözbilir stated that there are 40 faults in Izmir, including those in the Aegean Sea, 17 of which are located on land. He noted that the last devastating earthquake in Izmir (magnitude 6.8) occurred in 1688, and that since then, there has been no major earthquake for approximately 337 years.

Sözbilir stated the following regarding the latest studies:

"The faults throughout Izmir are seismically active. We can say that the time has come for faults like the Tuzla Fault, Gülbahçe Fault, and Seferihisar Fault in Izmir to produce significant earthquakes, and our studies show this. Therefore, we need to make Izmir an earthquake-ready city."

Sözbilir stated that Western Anatolia is a region with high geothermal potential, adding that this situation prevents earthquakes from occurring immediately once the faults begin. He also noted that this situation is occurring on the Simav and Sındırgı faults. Sözbilir added that seismic activity on the Simav Fault Zone continues, and that the Gelenbe Fault in this region poses a risk of transferring stress northward to Balıkesir or southward to Akhisar and Soma.

Source: AA