The quake was caused by a major fault line that was through the area and is not uncommon for the region to experience earthquake of this magnitude.
On 6 February 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey[1], causing widespread damage and tens of thousands of fatalities. The epicenter of the quake was located 32.4 km (20.1 mi) west-northwest of Gaziantep[1]. The quake was followed by a Mw 7.7 aftershock, occurring nine hours later, centered 95 km (59 mi) to the north–northeast in Kahramanmaraş Province[2]. The death toll in Turkey was 2,316, making it the country's deadliest earthquake since a tremor of similar magnitude in 1999[3]. In Syria, the death toll stood at 711, with 733 people killed in the Syrian rebel-held northwest[3]. In response to the disaster, the UN provided humanitarian aid to the affected areas, as 4.1 million people, many of them displaced by the conflict and living in camps, depended on cross-border support[3]. The earthquake triggered a number of aftershocks, with the largest one being a M7.5 event[2]. Surface fault rupture was also observed, with parts of the North Anatolian Fault shifting up to 10 feet and segments of the East Anatolian Fault sliding up to 30 feet[2].
