Impact assessment of the catastrophic earthquakes of 6 February 2023 in Turkey and Syria via the exploitation of satellite datasets

Abstract

Turkey due to its location within the collision zone between the Eurasian, African and Arabian Plates, is a region prone to earthquakes. The country mostly lies on the Anatolian micro-plate, bounded by two major strike-slip fault zones, i.e., the North and the East Anatolian Fault. On 6 February 2023, the activation of a large segment of the East Anatolian Fault generated two earthquakes of 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude, in southern Turkey. The seismic risk is greater along the plate boundaries, however due to the frequency of earthquake occurrence throughout Turkey, detailed seismic risk maps are crucial and need to be continuously updated towards operational purposes, and as the optimal means towards decision making for disaster risk reduction. Extensive Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite image analysis was performed to determine ground displacements caused by the seismic sequence in the wider area around the two epicenters. Pre-seismic line of sight displacements, as well as co-seismic deformation, were estimated, providing critical information about the surface rupture and the overall ground deformation in the affected areas. Earthquakes can induce landslides and other ground displacements causing extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure. Therefore, optical (e.g., Sentinel-2, PlanetScope) and SAR (Sentinel-1) imagery were exploited as a useful tool for assessing the impact of earthquakes on the ground. The monitoring and mapping of these changes, in conjunction with SAR analysis, as well as information on building infrastructure and population density, highlight the overall damage assessment in the region, thus, allowing a better understanding of the impact of earthquakes while providing a more effective response and recovery efforts for decision makers and local authorities towards disaster risk reduction.