Turkey’s twin earthquakes were most powerful in recorded history – study

The February 6 earthquakes that shocked Turkey and Syria were likely the most potent doublet ever to occur on land anywhere in the world, according to research published by Chinese scientists. Moreover, the first earthquake appears to match the largest earthquake ever to strike Turkey.

According to the research, the first mainshock happened around 4:18 a.m. local time and had a moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.95. About nine hours later, a second earthquake struck to the north, with an Mw of around 7.86.

“This corresponds to one of the largest tremors in more than 2,000 years of…