The first and most powerful was a 7.8-magnitude quake.

第一次以及最強烈的地震震度為 7.8 級。

This region certainly hasn't seen an earthquake this size in centuries.

這個地區已經好幾個世紀沒有經歷過如此規模的地震了。

Destruction followed as aftershocks hit the region.

隨著餘震陸續侵襲該地區，毀滅也接踵而至。

Then, a second 7.5-magnitude quake hit in the afternoon, followed by its own series of aftershocks.

接著，下午發生了第二起 7.5 級的地震，然後是它的一系列餘震。

In their wake, a humanitarian and economic crisis.

隨著這些事件而來的是人道與經濟的危機。

Thousands of people are reported dead and even more are still missing.

據報道，有數千人死亡、更多人仍然下落不明。

It's not the first time this region has suffered a violent quake, and it won't be the last.

這並不是該區域首次經歷強震，也不會是最後一次。

To understand why, you have to look under the surface, where three tectonic plates converge.

要了解原因，你必須看看地表以下三個板塊的交接處。

Together, these plates cause a unique and potentially devastating type of earthquake.

這些板塊共同造成了一種獨特和潛在破壞性的地震類型。

The first quake was located here, 11 miles under the town of Gaziantep, Turkey.

第一次地震的位置就在這裡，土耳其加濟安泰普鎮地表下 11 英里處。

11 miles may sound deep, but that's actually shallow for a major quake.

11 英里可能聽起來很深，但之於強震，它其實是很淺的。

The town is especially vulnerable because it sits near the meeting of two tectonic plates.

這座城鎮特別脆弱，因為它位於兩個板塊聚合處附近。

Tectonic plates are massive slabs of rock on the Earth's crust from 10 miles to 160 miles thick that are always slowly moving.

板塊地殼上巨大的岩石片，約 10 英里到 160 英里厚，一直在緩慢地移動。

You can take the Earth and divide it up into several large plates that are all moving around each other,

你可以把地球分割成幾個大型的板塊，互相環繞且移動著，

and most earthquakes occur at the boundaries between those plates.

而多數地震都發生在這些板塊交接的邊界處。

This one is called the Anatolia tectonic plate.

這個被稱為安納托利亞板塊。

It's actually a micro-plate due to its tiny size, and it's constantly under pressure.

它因為尺寸為小，所以其實是一個微型板塊，而且一直處於壓力之下。

That's because it's being pressed upward against the Eurasia plate by the Arabia plate.

那是因為它被阿拉伯板塊向上朝著歐亞大陸板塊擠壓。

That pressure is squeezing the Anatolia plate westward, where it faces even more friction from the Africa plate, which is also moving upward.

那個壓力將安納托利亞板塊往西擠壓，而它在那裡面對更多來自同樣向上移動的非洲板塊摩擦。

The Anatolian micro-plate is caught in a vise between the Arabian plate moving to the north against the Eurasian plate,

安納托利亞微型板塊被困在往北移的阿拉伯板塊和歐亞大陸板塊之間，

and this small plate is being pushed aside as a result of that motion.

而這個動作的後果是，此一小板塊被推擠到一邊。

That means the boundaries between the Anatolia plate and the Africa and Arabia plates are trying to slide against each other,

這表示安納托利亞板塊、非洲板塊和阿拉伯板塊的邊界正試圖相互推擠，

as the Anatolia moves to the west and the Africa and Arabia move to the east.

此時，安納托利亞正向西移動、非洲和阿拉伯則向東移動。

These borders are called "strike-slip faults".

這些邊界被稱為「平移斷層」。

And when the friction builds up between the plates as they're pushed in different directions until it's too much, they slip.

而當這些板塊之間的摩擦隨著它們被推往不同方向而持續累積到緊繃，它們就會移動。

That's a strike-slip earthquake.

那就是平移斷層地震。

The strain will build up and, finally, it will rupture and release all that accumulated strain in a large earthquake.

壓力會繼續疊加，最後，它會破裂並在一次強震中釋放所有堆積的壓力。

That's what happened in Gaziantep, resulting in that 7.8-magnitude quake.

這就是在加濟安泰普發生的事情，導致了那場 7.8 級的地震。

USGS estimates that the strike-slip occurred along about 100 miles of the fault, about 20 miles shorter than most strike-slip earthquakes.

美國地質調查局（USGS）估計此平移發生在距斷層約 100 英里處，比多數平移地震少了約 20 英里。

These are significant earthquakes for this fault system.

這些是該斷層系統的重大地震。

And, so, that is probably an accumulation of 3 to 500 years' worth of strain that's built up since the last earthquake.

因此，這可能是一起積累 3 至 500 年壓力，自上次地震以來便開始累積。

Experts say the energy released in that slip is comparable to that released during the explosive 1980 Mount St. Helen's volcanic eruption.

專家表示，在該平移中釋放的能量，可與 1980 年聖海倫火山噴發時所釋放的能量相比擬。

The same thing happened 9 hours later in Ekinözü, resulting in a 7.5-magnitude quake.

同樣的事情 9 小時後在 Ekinözü 發生，導致了 7.5 級的地震。

This one was just 6 miles down.

它的位置就在以南 6 英里。

More than 285 aftershocks have followed both quakes.

兩起地震之後共有超過 285 次餘震。

The USGS has called the area "tectonically active and unstable".

USGS 稱該地區的「板塊構造活躍且不穩定」。

This region is certainly one of the more complicated parts of the world because there are 4 different plates interacting,

這個地區確實是地球上較複雜的一個部分，因為有 4 個不同的板塊在互動，

so, it becomes a region with very complex tectonics.

所以它成為了具有非常複雜板塊構造的地區。

Those complex tectonics are responsible for a long history of devastating quakes,

那些複雜的板塊是長期發生毀滅性地震的主因，

like this quake from 1966 that killed over 2,000 people.

如同 1966 年使超過 2 千人喪命的地震。

Towns and villages in 19 provinces are almost totally destroyed.

分布在 19 個省分的城鎮和村莊幾乎完全被摧毀。

The 600-mile North Anatolian fault produced 7 large strike-slip earthquakes from 1939 to 1999,

長 600 英里的北安納托利亞斷層在 1939 年到 1999 年間產生了 7 次大型平移地震，

and 3 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or larger have occurred within 155 miles of Monday's earthquakes since 1970,

而自 1970 以來的 3 起 6 級以上的地震都發生在週一地震 155 英里範圍內，

but there hasn't been a large earthquake since 1999.

但自從 1999 年就未曾發生過任何強震。

Because this region hasn't seen a large earthquake for a while, it was overdue.

因為這個地區已經好一段時間沒發生強震，這是遲早的事。

That 1999 quake was a 7.4-magnitude and caused an estimated 17,000 deaths.

1999 年的地震有 7.4 級，並造成約 1 萬 7 千起死亡。

For now, USGS estimates there could be billions in economic losses.

目前為至，USGS 估計經濟面可能會有數十億的損失。

The biggest thing is the destruction and loss of life, and it's gonna take them years for recovery.

最嚴重的事件是災難和生命的損失，而恢復會花他們多年的時間。

But will there be more disruption if the 2 quakes spark a 3rd?

但如果這兩起地震引發第三起，會有更多的毀滅嗎？

Experts aren't sure.

專家們並不確定。

It may put extra strain on some of the nearby faults or it may relieve some of the strain on the nearby faults,

它可能會對鄰近的斷層施加更多壓力，或者它可能減緩附近斷層的一些壓力，

so it'll take some time to figure out whether further earthquakes are more likely or less likely in this region.

所以會花費一些時間搞清楚未來在這個區域會發生更多或更少地震。

But due to the 3-plate convergence, it's not a question of "if" there will be another earthquake, it's a question of "when".

但由於這 3 個板塊的堆疊，問題並不在於另一起地震「是否」會發生，而是它「何時」會發生。