Reconnaissance Reports

2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes in Türkiye Reconnaissance Report

A M7.8 earthquake occurred in southeast Türkiye, 33 km south-east of Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023 at 4:17 local time at a depth of 10 km. A second earthquake with M7.6 hit the region only 9 hours later at 13:24 local time, 62 km north-east of Kahramanmaraş at a depth or 9 km. The earthquakes occurred along the East-Anatolian fault and affected 11 provinces, resulting in over 50,000 casualties and over 110,000 injuries. More than 100,000 buildings were either collapsed or heavily damaged. Shallow nature of the earthquakes, coupled with strong shakings, as well as the proximity to urban areas and unfavourable soil conditions resulted in widespread devastation. According to the World Bank rapid assessment report released on February 27, 2023 the earthquakes caused an estimated $34.2 billion in direct physical damages in Türkiye, the equivalent of 4% of the country’s 2021 GDP. Turkish Government declared on March 17, 2023 that the total loss was $103.6 billion. The Canadian Association for Earthquake Engineering and Seismology/L’Association Canadienne du Genie Parasismique et de la Sismologie sent a reconnaissance team to investigate the performance of engineering infrastructure. The team consisted of 12 members covering expertise in seismology, geology, as well as geotechnical and structural engineering. Their findings are presented in this reconnaissance report. Read More

Report on earthquakearthquake reconnaissance of the M7.8 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake on april 25, 2015 and it’s aftersocks. 

The devastating Gorkha Earthquake and aftershocks which struck Nepal in April of 2015 caused tragic loss of life, serious injuries and disastrous damage. More than 9,000 people were killed, over 22,000 were injured and at least thousands of people were left homeless. Many more suffered great hardships. Overall, 2,649 public buildings and 510,762 private dwellings collapsed, while 3,617 public buildings and 291,707 private dwellings suffered partial damage. More than 7,000 school buildings and 1,085 healthcare facilities suffered damage (GON, 2015 B). The earthquake also affected approximately 2,900 structures with cultural and heritage values.Read More.

Reconnaissance Report: Members of CAEE return from visits to Thailand and Indonesia.

A devastating earthquake and a resulting tsunami hit coastal areas of Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. The quake was the second strongest ever recorded since 1900, with a Richter magnitude of 9.3 according to Northwestern University, though the USGS suggested a magnitude of 9.0. The epicenter was 155 km west of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The earthquake resulted from the rupturing of the subduction zone between the India plate and the overriding Burma microplate with a vertical uplift of 7.0 to 10 m at the ocean floor. This created a massive tsunami with wave heights reaching up to 24 meters. The casualties from the disaster were in excess of 310,000. The tsunami affected Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, Malaysia, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya, as well as other countries around the Indian Ocean. Read More.