Türkiye is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, wedged between the Eurasian, African and Arabian plates. The northward push of Arabia squeezes the Anatolian block westward along two great strike-slip faults, the North Anatolian and East Anatolian faults, which slice across the country and store enormous seismic energy.
The North Anatolian Fault produced the deadly 1999 İzmit earthquake, while the East Anatolian Fault ruptured in the catastrophic 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, which killed tens of thousands. Türkiye also hosts dormant volcanoes such as Mount Ararat and the eroded cones that shaped the surreal landscapes of Cappadocia.