Fogbow

In Texas Oil Country, an Unfamiliar Threat: Earthquakes

J. David Goodman
Sat, January 28, 2023 at 5:20 PM GMT+1

PECOS, Texas — The West Texas earth shook one day in November, shuddering through the two-story City Hall in downtown Pecos, swaying the ceiling fans at an old railroad station, rattling the walls at a popular taqueria.

The tremor registered as a 5.4 magnitude earthquake, among the largest recorded in the state. Then, a month later, another of similar magnitude struck not far away, near Odessa and Midland, twin oil country cities with relatively tall office buildings, some of them visible for miles around.

The earthquakes, arriving in close succession, were the latest in what has been several years of surging seismic activity in Texas, a state known for many types of natural disasters but not typically, until now, for major earth movements. In 2022, the state recorded more than 220 earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or higher, up from 26 recorded in 2017, when the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas began close monitoring.

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So unheard-of were strong earthquakes in the flat, oil-rich expanse about a six-hour drive west of Austin that some residents at first mistook the November quake for a powerful gust of wind. Lloyd Chappell, a retired propane deliveryperson who was in his recliner at the time, thought one of his grown sons was making a joke of shaking his chair. But no one was there. His water sloshed around in his glass for 30 long seconds.

“We’ve heard noises before — out there in the oil field, they drop big tanks, or things like that,” said Chappell, 66. “But I’d never felt that before.”

The vast majority of the temblors have been concentrated in the highly productive oil fields of the Permian Basin, particularly those in Reeves County, north and west of the city of Pecos. The county’s official population of 14,000 does not account for thousands of mostly male transient workers staying in austere “man camps” and RV parks, brought there by the promise of good pay in exchange for long hours, stark terrain and dangerous work.

Now earthquakes have become part of the same calculation.




https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-oil-co ... 21203.html

ISTANBUL — A powerful earthquake in southern Turkey early Monday leveled residential buildings in nearby Turkish cities and in northern Syria. Video of the aftermath showed residents trapped under rubble.

Reports of casualties were beginning to trickle out, with local media reporting 17 dead in one Turkish province, three in a second and five in a third. Syria’s deputy health minister reported 42 killed and 200 injured in Aleppo, Hama and Latakia, according to state media.

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake — felt as far away as Lebanon, Jordan and Israel — occurred in Nurdagi, about 40 miles west of the Turkish city of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The initial quake was followed by powerful aftershocks.

14.21 GMT

on live reporting link

Combined death toll in Turkey and Syria rises to at least 2,300

Associated Press report that the death toll from Monday’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has now climbed to over 2,300 people.

At least 1,498 people were killed across 10 provinces of Turkey, with another 7,600 injured, according to the country’s disaster management agency.

The death toll in government-held areas of Syria rose to more than 430 people, with 1,280 injured, according to data from the health ministry. In the country’s north-west where the government is not in control, groups that operate there said the death toll was at least 380, with many hundreds injured.

The number is expected to continue to rise rapidly, with many people believed to be trapped under rubble in collapsed buildings.

Mapping the Damage From Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

By Pablo Robles, Agnes Chang, Josh Holder and Lauren Leatherby
Updated 2:02 p.m., Feb. 6, 2023

Two powerful earthquakes struck Turkey on Monday, collapsing buildings in dozens of cities and killing thousands of people in the south of the country and in northern Syria. The first magnitude 7.8 quake, which struck at 4:17 a.m. local time, was felt as far away as Lebanon and Israel.

Area affected by the initial earthquake



Source: U.S. Geological Survey Note: Based on assessment as of 1:00 a.m. E.S.T. on Feb. 6.


Just nine hours later, an unusually strong magnitude 7.5 aftershock hit along the same fault line, about 60 miles north of the first, according to the U.S.G.S.

Area affected by the second earthquake





https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 ... amage.html

‘Like the apocalypse’: Videos show devastation after huge earthquakes in Turkey, Syria

Aspen Pflughoeft
Mon, February 6, 2023 at 6:46 PM GMT+1

A powerful earthquake and numerous large aftershocks rocked southern Turkey and northern Syria throughout the day on Monday, Feb. 6. Videos showed the devastating scenes where thousands have been killed or injured.



https://www.yahoo.com/news/apocalypse-v ... 11629.html

'Working against time': A frantic search for survivors after quake hits Turkey, Syria; 4,000 dead: Live updates.

John Bacon and Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY
Tue, February 7, 2023 at 4:38 AM GMT+1

The death toll surged to 4,000 and continued rising Monday after a powerful, pre-dawn earthquake and series of strong aftershocks collapsed thousands of buildings along the Turkish-Syrian border.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/powerful-pre ... 41282.html

7 Feb 2023, 20:23
Earthquake death toll rises above 7,100 in Turkey and Syria quake
The death toll from a massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria rose above 7,100 on Tuesday, official data showed, with rescue workers still searching for trapped survivors.

Officials and medics said 5,434 people have died in Turkey and 1,712 in Syria, bringing the total to 7,146.

- AFP

Historic castle in Turkey badly damaged by earthquake

Guardian News
6 Feb 2023

The partial destruction of a Roman-era castle in the Turkish city of Gaziantep has led to fears that two earthquakes that struck on Monday may have damaged other priceless monuments in Turkey and Syria, areas rich in cultural heritage.

Footage of Gaziantep Castle, considered one of the best-preserved citadels in Turkey, showed parts of its stone walls had cascaded down the side of the fort. Syria and Turkey are considered cradles of human civilisation and home to some of the world’s most precious relics of antiquity, boasting several Unesco world heritage sites, including the ancient city of Aleppo, already ravaged by the Syrian civil war.