Turkish expert says ‘not to worry’ about 5.5 magnitude earthquake in Syria

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 occurred in the Syrian city of Hama at 11:56 p.m. last night. People felt the quake mainly in Hatay, but it also caused panic in Sanliurfa, Adana, Adiyaman, Gaziantep, Kilis and Osmaniye.

While the earthquake, which occurred at a depth of 19 kilometers (3.41 miles), shook southern Türkiye, earthquake expert professor Dr. Naci Gorur posted on his social media account.

Suriye’de peş peşe deprem. İlki öncü diğer 5,5 ‘luk ana deprem. Depremler Hatay’daki Ölü Deniz Fayının devamı üzerinde ve Hama yakınlarında. Suriye’deki Ölü Deniz Fayının Türkiye’deki devamı Arap Levhası üzerindeki faylar hariç kırıldı. Biz jeologlar buralarda deprem… pic.twitter.com/QBlM4qO1RH

— Prof. Dr. Naci Görür (@nacigorur) August 12, 2024

“Syria is experiencing an increasing number of earthquakes,” Gorur said, adding that the first earthquake is a precursor, while the other five are major earthquakes.

“The earthquakes are on the continuation of the Dead Sea Fault in Hatay and near Hama. The Dead Sea Fault in Syria, located in Türkiye, has broken apart, except for the faults on the Arabian Plate,” he said.

The earthquake in Syria brought to mind the earthquakes in Türkiye, on Feb. 6, 2023.

Maintaining that the geologists were expecting an earthquake in these areas, Gorur said: “We do not expect any movement that could lead to a disaster around Hatay on the Dead Sea Fault; do not worry.”