Karl Lang, an assistant professor at Georgia Tech University's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, told CNN, "It's a seismogenic area. It's a very large fault zone, but this is a larger earthquake than they've experienced any time in recent memory."
"The magnitude of shaking that is felt on the surface is both a function of the amount of energy released, the size of the earthquake, but also how far that energy is released below the surface. So if it is very close to the surface, if it is a shallow earthquake, then it can be very dangerous," said Lang.
"What's really unusual here is that it's a very large earthquake that is also close to the surface," Lang said.
Residents in Latakia reported, "It felt like it would never be over." The quake brought on a three-minute rolling movement in which high towering housing units swayed, causing residents to pour into the streets in their pajamas. The coast of Syria is experiencing a very cold rainstorm which began before the quake and has not let up.
With several inches of snow on the ground in Gaziantep, residents waited outside in the rain for about 30 minutes before he could go back inside to grab coats and boots.
Predictions
Frank Hoogerbeets, CEO and President at Solar System Geometry Survey, made a prediction of this earthquake in a YouTube video on February 2. After his prediction came true, he wrote: "As I stated earlier, sooner or later this would happen in this region, similar to the years 115 and 526. These earthquakes are always preceded by critical planetary geometry, as we had on 4-5 Feb."
World leaders forgot the Syrian people
In times of natural disasters, it is to be expected for world leaders to extend condolences and offers of help.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan tweeted, "I have been in touch with Turkish officials to relay that we stand ready to provide any & all needed assistance. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkiye." What about Syria? The Syrian people are suffering as well, but they don't get mentioned.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted, "We stand with the people of Turkey in this difficult time." No mention of the Syrians suffering.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "India stands in solidarity with the people of Turkey." No mention of Syria.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent his condolences to the people of both Turkey and Syria in a series of tweets. The Syrian people deserve mention.
Countries who have offered help to Syria are: China, Russia, Iran, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Iraq, Algeria, France, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Bahrain.
Idlib and the White Helmets
The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) said its hospitals in Syria "are overwhelmed with patients filling the hallways." This news from CNN would lead you to believe that SAMS has hospitals serving Syrians in need all over. The fact is, SAMS is strictly serving the medical needs of the approximately three million residents of Idlib province, which is the only area in Syria under the occupation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria.
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