Discussion on the Causes of the Observed Damages in the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes

Abstract

The devastating earthquakes in February 2023 in south-east Turkiye demonstrated that the Turkish built environment does not meet the needed performance. The frequency of earthquakes in Turkiye calls for urgent organization to upgrade the existing structures and avoid the repetition of deficient applications. Hence, it is necessary to identify the causes of the damage. The presented study concentrated on a subset of the existing inventory built under the governance of 1998 and later Turkish Earthquake Codes. Following the earthquakes in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye, a reconnaissance study was conducted to understand the causes of the damage incurred. The extensive study covered all the major city and town centers, specifically concentrating on the 2- to 16-story reinforced concrete buildings. The first impression of the data gathered indicates significant detailing imperfections. Poor drift control, inferior layout preferences, and non-structural detailing issues are the other suspects. The observed damage and the current seismic regulation requirements will be critically discussed to form a basis for possible future improvements to the seismic code.