Comment: Right!...

Clearly, they don't know what they're talking about.

More likely, this is yet another manifestation of differing electric potential between surface and atmospheric layers of the planet.

Comment: About 9 hours earlier: Devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake hits Turkey, numerous aftershocks including a 6.7 - at least 2,300 killed

Aftershocks continue to cause damage:



UPDATE 23/02/06: The Republican World.com reports:

A powerful earthquake of 6.0 magnitude hit Turkey at 12:02 UTC, marking the third major jolt in 24 hours, according to the US Geological Survey. The latest quake hit Turkey's central region just when the middle eastern nation was only beginning to pick up the pieces of the long trail of destruction left behind by a 7.8 earthquake that hit earlier in the day and claimed the lives of over 1,500 people.

The earthquake, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the "biggest disaster since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake", was quickly followed by major aftershocks of 7.7 magnitude and 6.0, the latest.

At least 1,014 people have died and 7,003 people were injured following the earthquake in Turkey, as per Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD).

Earthquake knocks out power and internet connectivity

Following the series of calamities striking Turkey, the country has been pushed into widespread power and internet outages, thus affecting crucial communications.

"A 7.8 magnitude earthquake has knocked out power and internet connectivity in parts of southern #Turkey; the impact to communications may affect the public's ability to seek assistance, with hundreds of casualties reported," tweeted NetBlocks, a cybersecurity watchdog.

Addressing a press conference shortly after the first earthquake hit, Erdogan urged the people of Turkey to unite to overcome the calamity that has reduced the southeastern regions to rubble.

"Everyone is putting their heart and soul into efforts, although the winter season, cold weather and the earthquake happening during the night make things more difficult," he said.

"We do not know how high the casualty numbers will go as efforts to lift the debris continue in several buildings in the earthquake zone. Today is a day for 85 million to be together as one heart," he added.

Comment: See also:

• The new pause lengthens: 100 months with no warming at all
• A cold winter undercuts the warming narrative
• New evidence shows US. 'warming' over last 50 years exaggerated by up to 50%
• Dozens of climate models wildly exaggerate the extent of global warming
• Climate bombshell: Greenland ice sheet recovers as scientists say earlier loss was due to natural warming not CO2 emissions
• Carbon dioxide is not a 'well-mixed gas', can't cause global warming
• No warming in US for at least 17 years according to rarely referenced urban heat-free database

Comment: In addition, about 9 hours later: Turkey hit by second major earthquake of magnitude 7.5

From Earthquake Track:

Aftershocks:

5.6 magnitude, 17 km depth
Musabeyli, Kilis, Turkey

6.7 magnitude, 14 km depth
Kahramanmaraş, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey

5.6 magnitude, 10 km depth
Nurdağı, Gaziantep, Turkey

5.1 magnitude, 10 km depth
Hasanbeyli, Osmaniye, Turkey

4.8 magnitude, 10 km depth
Pazarcık, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey

4.8 magnitude, 10 km depth
Nurdağı, Gaziantep, Turkey

5.2 magnitude, 11 km depth
Nurdağı, Gaziantep, Turkey

4.6 magnitude, 10 km depth
Denizciler, Hatay, Turkey

4.5 magnitude, 12 km depth
Pazarcık, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey

This is looking like it'll be Turkey's worst earthquake since 1939, when around 35,000 people were killed.

With an estimated 3,500 buildings destroyed in cities across southern Turkey and northern Syria today - many of which were residential buildings in which people were sleeping - the death toll will probably go much higher.

While Turkey was arguably due another 'big one', what's odd about today's quakes is that they occurred on a much less active fault-line (the East Anatolian Fault, in the country's south). Turkey's 'big ones' usually occur in the northern, western and eastern sectors of the country.

Maybe something, maybe nothing... RT reports that when Putin called Erdogan earlier today to offer condolences and Russian S&R assistance, the two agreed to speak again later in the day. Given the geopolitical sensitivity of the very region that was struck today, further talks are no doubt needed.

Some of the footage from the region is jaw-dropping. Our thoughts and prayers go to the millions of people affected.