(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Elnur Enveroglu read more The recent heaviest earthquake hit southeastern Turkiye and
northern Syria has been a nightmare for millions in the world. Many
people think it could recur at any time and many speculations
concerning the causes of earthquakes run through both social and
mass media.
Social media jungle
Numerous social media 'experts' and influencers share opinions
that the earthquake in Turkiye and Syria would have a sequence in
Azerbaijan. This has also caused huge anxiety among the population
and as the result, many have been prejudiced to sell their
apartments in high-rise buildings, in particular, in Baku and many
other cities. However, according to the Azerbaijan National Academy
of Sciences, the seismic situation in the territory of the republic
is monitored by the seismic station network of the Republic
Seismological Service Centre under ANAS, and currently, the
seismicity in the country is low.
Should we believe in the fact about Human-induced
earthquakes?
Induced seismicity is typically earthquakes and tremors that are
caused by human activity that alters the stresses and strains on
Earth's crust. Most induced seismicity is of a low magnitude. A few
sites regularly have larger quakes, such as The Geysers geothermal
plant which often takes place in California with an average of 4
magnitude events.
As regards the recent heavy earthquakes in Turkiye, this has
been a reason for many rumors circulating among the population.
Azerbaijani academician Fakhreddin Gadirov says the information
about the earthquake in Turkiye being human-induced is no more than
gossip. The expert confirms it as impossible adding that even the
sun and the moon may have an effect on natural phenomena, however,
this conjecture is not based on any facts yet.
Rumors promote Armenian provocations
As rumors grow about the earthquake Armenian provocations become
further active on social media. Thus, after the earthquake in
Turkiye, the Armenian media intruded on social networks with rumors
that strong earthquakes will occur in the centre of Baku. This was
followed by witnessing a number of false news even in the Second
Karabakh war, in which Armenia tried to cover up their defeat on
the battlefield and their perished fighting spirit with 'fake'
news. It seems that they still do not give up their malicious and
fraudulent intentions.
It is beyond doubt that Armenians want to create anxiety among
the population of Azerbaijan. However, they forget that in the age
of know-how technologies, it has been very easy to detect the“fake
news” disseminated by Armenian provocateurs.
How to predict the earthquake
Many experts and seismologists say it is impossible to give an
exact forecast about earthquakes.
As regards the earthquakes in Turkiye, the scientists say it is
the most active period of the planet earth in the past 20
years.
'The activation of the African plateau also caused the
activation of the Arabian plateau. As a result, we are witnessing
such earthquakes in the region and it seems that they will
continue. The aftershocks of the earthquakes in Turkiye are still
ongoing. It is true that it is impossible to predict the time when
an earthquake will occur, but we have to learn to live with it. We
believe that the earthquake in Khoy was also a result of the
activation of the Arabian plateau.'
Azerbaijani academician Fakraddin Gadirov has told this in his
comment to local media.
Another expert, Head of the Republican Seismological Service
Centre Gurban Yetishmishli has refused that fact about the
imminence of an earthquake in Azerbaijan. He stressed that the
epicenter of the earthquake is quite far from Azerbaijan;
“Therefore, this event cannot affect or wake up the seismogenic
centres of the country.”
The expert added that there is no reason for the population to
panic. Earthquakes are recorded every day in our country. This is a
natural process. But most of the impulses are not felt. So, it
means a strong earthquake is not expected in Azerbaijan in near
future.
Another concern is the buildings left since the former Soviet
time, and those are being built in and around the city and in some
suburban areas with modern technologies as per experts. However,
some residents think majority of high-rise buildings may not be
durable to earthquakes of the same magnitude hit regions in
Turkiye.
According to real estate expert Ramil Osmanli, who made a
statement on the matter to the local media, said that the buildings
being built now are more resistant to earthquakes than the
buildings built during the Soviet era. He said over the past years
due to strong supervision of construction processes many buildings
in Baku and outside have been brought to standards. Giving more
details of its technical aspects, the expert added that the
buildings are connected to each other both vertically and
horizontally from the basement which makes it more durable against
the strongest earthquakes.
The fact that the magic of the latest technology somehow
guarantees the lives of many people from the deadliest tremors, no
one is insured nonetheless. The main thing to be always cautious
and stick to basic rules when there is an earthquake:
Stand under a doorway or a corner in the room Never panic
rushing in a crowded area in a building Crawl under the bed if
there is less chance to escape a quake-hit building Move away from
buildings, utility wires, sinkholes, and fuel and gas lines
Remember that the greatest danger from falling debris is just
outside doorways and close to outer walls of buildings.
Finally, as mentioned above yielding panic may throw us into
more danger than we approach every natural disaster pragmatically.
This is also not a mere solace that the earthquake in Turkiye may
not have consequences in Azerbaijan. However, believing in
prejudice of unknown sources about earthquakes will keep us
suffering from such a nightmare.
---
Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow him on
@elnurmammadli1