Response of water resources to the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes (MW 7.7 and MW 7.6) that occurred on February 6, 2023, on the East Anatolian Fault Zone (Türkiye)

Abstract

. Abstract: On February 6, 2023, two destructive earthquakes of 7.7 M W and 7.6 M W occurred in Pazarcık (Kahramanmaraş) and Elbistan (Kahramanmaraş) at 04:17 and 13:24 hours, respectively. These earthquakes caused a surface rupture with a total length of 450 km in the region with an average displacement of 3 m between the Arabian and Anatolian plates. This study was conducted to investigate the physical deformation of the aquifer system and the current water quality characteristics in the affected region utilizing field observations and on-site analysis of water sources and tap water. The study revealed significant physical changes in the karstic springs and groundwater wells, including turbidity discharges from all karstic springs due to the limestone-covered terra rosa soils in the region, destruction of groundwater wells near the coastal alluvial aquifer due to liquification, significant intrusion of sea water due to settlements caused by liquefaction in the alluvial aquifer, presence of microbiological pathogens carried by particles creating turbidity in the water sources, and presence of microbiological pathogens in some tap waters due to contamination by pollutants resulting from damage to the water and sewerage networks. These preliminary findings suggest that the earthquake-induced shaking and physical deformation impacted the quality of groundwater sources and tap water in the region.