In the centre of a Turkish olive orchard, the earthquake left a large hole

 By Tara John and Hande Atay Alam

February 14, 2023

During the tragic earthquake that struck Turkey last week, a lush olive grove was split in half, leaving a valley that is now divided by 300 metres, or 984 feet.

Amazing video of the split olive grove has surfaced in Turkey's south-eastern Altnozu region, which borders Syria. The video depicts a jagged, sandy-colored chasm. The cleft is more than 40 metres (130 feet) deep.

Another example of the destructive intensity of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday and left tens of thousands of people dead as well as entire city blocks demolished.

Irfan Aksu, a resident of the area, told Turkish news agency Demioren News Agency that when the earthquake struck last Monday, it made "an incredible sound" where he lived.

"When we woke up, it was like a battlefield," he said.

He requested that experts inspect the area for potential future damage. "This is not a small town; there are 1000 houses here, and there are 7,000 people," he explained. "We are, of course, terrified. It would have happened in the middle of our town if it had been a little closer."

Because Turkey is located along tectonic plate boundaries, it is no stranger to strong earthquakes. In the last 25 years, seven earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater have struck the country, but last Monday's was the deadliest.

A number of factors have contributed to the magnitude of this earthquake. One of them is the time of day when it happened. Many people were in their beds when the earthquake struck early in the morning and are now trapped beneath the rubble of their homes.