The earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria in February 2023 have resulted in a significant loss of life and damage to infrastructure, highlighting once again the importance of preparedness and prompt response to mitigate the impact of natural disasters in the future. Scientific research in many fields across the Earth sciences, earthquake, geotechnical and structural engineering as well as disaster and emergency medicine, can provide valuable evidence on how to cope with such events and be better prepared for future disasters.
We believe that this integrated and multidisciplinary effort may be best reached by exploiting the potential of various journals of Frontiers, merged in a single comprehensive Research Topic.
This multidisciplinary Research Topic will be developed across Frontiers in Earth Science, Frontiers in Built Environment, and Frontiers in Public Health and aims at merging the perspectives of this earthquake sequence from different disciplines and at encouraging research to be submitted urgently to address the challenges faced in the aftermath of the disaster as well as policies that are in place to minimise such large-scale damage from disasters in the future.
Frontiers in Earth Science will welcome contributions in the fields of solid earth geophysics, structural geology and tectonics that help constrain the geometry, segmentation, kinematics, rupture processes, and seismic hazards of the East Anatolian and Dead Sea fault system, and how deformation along it varies in space and time. Contributions could include:
• Seismological and field-based structural studies that place observational constraints on fault rupture processes associated with the February 2023 seismic sequence, as well as geochronology and paleoseismology studies that help understand the longer-term slip history of the fault system;
• Remote sensing and geodetic studies (such as from InSAR and GPS) that help us better understand co-seismic, post-seismic and inter-seismic processes through the seismic cycle;
• Contributions from numerical and analogue models that help constrain the relationship between the seismic cycle, evolution of stress, and trigger mechanisms for earthquakes;
• Regional geodynamic and geophysical studies that help place the February 2023 seismic sequence in the context of broader plate motions;
• Observational- and modelling-based studies of seismic wave propagation and amplification to better understand both sub-surface fault structure and processes, as well for seismic hazard applications.
We will also welcome contributions focusing on the development of earthquake scenarios that are more extreme than any in the known historical or geological record as well as contributions addressing the challenge of seismic design for rare extreme events that give rise to ground motions beyond the traditional risk levels. Issues of code compliance, and the role of civic authorities, will also be covered.
From the built environment perspective, we will focus on issues related to geotechnical and structural engineering, and earthquake-resistant design and construction of buildings and infrastructure. We are interested in papers exploring topics including:
• Site investigation, geo-hazard evaluation and assessment (e.g. liquefaction, lateral spreading, landslide, land subsidence) and the benefits of ground improvement;
• Seismic behaviour of substructures (tunnels, pipes, shallow and deep foundations), earth structures (slopes and walls) and superstructures (buildings and bridges) and the performance of buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure during the earthquake. This includes studies on the dynamic response of structures under seismic loading, the effectiveness of various structural systems and materials in resisting earthquake forces, and the evaluation of damage and failure modes of different types of structures;
• Recorded and generated ground motions of the February 2023 earthquake sequence and the seismic response of structures and related computer models for seismic hazard assessment and seismic design;
• Retrofitting of existing buildings to improve their seismic performance, evaluating the design, implementation, and effectiveness of innovative retrofitting techniques in enhancing the seismic resilience of existing infrastructure.
These papers should be submitted to Frontiers in Built Environment.
Finally, we want to highlight the importance of implementation science studies that can provide practical solutions for implementing disaster preparedness and response strategies, also addressing lack of resources, awareness of the problem, and politics. We will welcome observational studies, randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews, rapid reviews, and commentaries, however, we are particularly interested in science studies exploring how to implement complex and costly interventions in resource-limited countries practically. In addition, we welcome studies that investigate the effectiveness of disaster preparedness and response strategies and studies that examine the impact of disasters on mental health and well-being. These papers should be submitted to Frontiers in Public Health.
Keywords:
Turkey, Syria, Earthquake, natural disaster, public response, earth science, public health, built environment
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
The earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria in February 2023 have resulted in a significant loss of life and damage to infrastructure, highlighting once again the importance of preparedness and prompt response to mitigate the impact of natural disasters in the future. Scientific research in many fields across the Earth sciences, earthquake, geotechnical and structural engineering as well as disaster and emergency medicine, can provide valuable evidence on how to cope with such events and be better prepared for future disasters.
We believe that this integrated and multidisciplinary effort may be best reached by exploiting the potential of various journals of Frontiers, merged in a single comprehensive Research Topic.
This multidisciplinary Research Topic will be developed across Frontiers in Earth Science, Frontiers in Built Environment, and Frontiers in Public Health and aims at merging the perspectives of this earthquake sequence from different disciplines and at encouraging research to be submitted urgently to address the challenges faced in the aftermath of the disaster as well as policies that are in place to minimise such large-scale damage from disasters in the future.
Frontiers in Earth Science will welcome contributions in the fields of solid earth geophysics, structural geology and tectonics that help constrain the geometry, segmentation, kinematics, rupture processes, and seismic hazards of the East Anatolian and Dead Sea fault system, and how deformation along it varies in space and time. Contributions could include:
• Seismological and field-based structural studies that place observational constraints on fault rupture processes associated with the February 2023 seismic sequence, as well as geochronology and paleoseismology studies that help understand the longer-term slip history of the fault system;
• Remote sensing and geodetic studies (such as from InSAR and GPS) that help us better understand co-seismic, post-seismic and inter-seismic processes through the seismic cycle;
• Contributions from numerical and analogue models that help constrain the relationship between the seismic cycle, evolution of stress, and trigger mechanisms for earthquakes;
• Regional geodynamic and geophysical studies that help place the February 2023 seismic sequence in the context of broader plate motions;
• Observational- and modelling-based studies of seismic wave propagation and amplification to better understand both sub-surface fault structure and processes, as well for seismic hazard applications.
We will also welcome contributions focusing on the development of earthquake scenarios that are more extreme than any in the known historical or geological record as well as contributions addressing the challenge of seismic design for rare extreme events that give rise to ground motions beyond the traditional risk levels. Issues of code compliance, and the role of civic authorities, will also be covered.
From the built environment perspective, we will focus on issues related to geotechnical and structural engineering, and earthquake-resistant design and construction of buildings and infrastructure. We are interested in papers exploring topics including:
• Site investigation, geo-hazard evaluation and assessment (e.g. liquefaction, lateral spreading, landslide, land subsidence) and the benefits of ground improvement;
• Seismic behaviour of substructures (tunnels, pipes, shallow and deep foundations), earth structures (slopes and walls) and superstructures (buildings and bridges) and the performance of buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure during the earthquake. This includes studies on the dynamic response of structures under seismic loading, the effectiveness of various structural systems and materials in resisting earthquake forces, and the evaluation of damage and failure modes of different types of structures;
• Recorded and generated ground motions of the February 2023 earthquake sequence and the seismic response of structures and related computer models for seismic hazard assessment and seismic design;
• Retrofitting of existing buildings to improve their seismic performance, evaluating the design, implementation, and effectiveness of innovative retrofitting techniques in enhancing the seismic resilience of existing infrastructure.
These papers should be submitted to Frontiers in Built Environment.
Finally, we want to highlight the importance of implementation science studies that can provide practical solutions for implementing disaster preparedness and response strategies, also addressing lack of resources, awareness of the problem, and politics. We will welcome observational studies, randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews, rapid reviews, and commentaries, however, we are particularly interested in science studies exploring how to implement complex and costly interventions in resource-limited countries practically. In addition, we welcome studies that investigate the effectiveness of disaster preparedness and response strategies and studies that examine the impact of disasters on mental health and well-being. These papers should be submitted to Frontiers in Public Health.
Keywords:
Turkey, Syria, Earthquake, natural disaster, public response, earth science, public health, built environment
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.