How the Turkey earthquake tore a 300-kilometre rupture in the Earth's surface

The ground in Turkey and northern Syria was torn, cracked open, and dragged in different directions after the massive 7.8 magnitude quake and its aftershocks on Feb. 6. The main quake had a long rupture with displacements of up to 7m. Images from Planet Labs show a surface rupture running straight through the middle of a village near Nurdagi, Turkey, with the ground clearly moving a few metres on either side. Images from Planet Labs show a surface rupture running straight through the middle of a village near Nurdagi, Turkey, with the ground clearly moving a few metres on either side. Experts say the surface ruptures offer a valuable source of data that will help them understand the processes that caused such a devastating event - and ultimately save lives.