Jeoloji Münendisliği Dergisi

Characteristics of Building Stock in Cities Affected by the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes

ABSTRACT: On February 6, 2023, two distinct earthquakes occurred approximately 9 hours apart in the districts of Pazarcık and Elbistan in Kahramanmaraş. The first earthquake had a magnitude of Mw 7.7; and was followed by a second earthquake with a magnitude of Mw 7.6. These independent seismic events were felt over a wide area and caused significant damage in the epicentral region and surrounding provinces. Numerous buildings collapsed and according to official records, the earthquakes resulted in the loss of more than 50,000 lives. The most affected cities include Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Şanlıurfa; most of the destruction and significant loss of life occurred here. This study has compiled the building stock in these provinces. The examined building stock has been gathered on a district basis, considering each building’s structural system, building use, number of floors, and seismic code time periods. Buildings that collapsed, suffered severe damage, or were condemned (to be demolished) after the earthquakes are no longer included in the compiled building stock.However, the recorded ground motion acceleration data obtained during the earthquakes from various strong-motion stations; and the damage level information regarding the buildings in the stock, constitute an important dataset for earthquake studies. In this context, conducting earthquake risk assessments for the pre-earthquake building stock, esting and calibrating fragility curves appropriate for the building types within the building stock, is possible. It is believed that the information presented in this study will make a significant contribution to the realistic calculation of earthquake vulnerability and thus assist in taking measures to mitigate earthquake risks. Furthermore, utilizing the compiled building stock, it is also possible to perform loss calculations for similar building stocks exposed to  seismic hazards in different regions.