Artvin landslide shifts 100,000 tons of soil

TRABZON

Investigations have revealed that some 100,000 tons of soil mass moved in the landslide that hit the Black Sea province of Artvin on Dec. 8.

The landslide gripped the Arhavi district at around 3:30 a.m., resulting in the closure of the Black Sea coastal road to traffic in both directions. The bodies of four individuals were recovered from a car buried under the landslide a day after the disaster.

Expert analyses conducted following the incident revealed that the landslide may have been triggered by a magnitude 4.7 earthquake that struck the Hemşin district in the Black Sea city of Rize on Nov. 15.

“Türkiye is prone to earthquakes. In our own district, we have gradually begun to experience the earthquake's aftereffects. According to our prediction, earthquakes do trigger the landslides. This is the manner in which we continue our line of work,” geological engineer Professor Dr. Hakan Ersoy from Karadeniz Technical University noted.

The earthquake hitting Rize had previously sparked concerns, as the province has not been deemed one of the most alarming areas in terms of earthquake hazards.

Ersoy noted that following this rare earthquake, two landslides had also struck the Çayeli district of the province, emphasizing the need to evaluate landslides in the region in light of recent tremors.

“Beginning in Georgia’s Batumi, [Black Sea province of] Giresun and [Black Sea city of Trabzon’s] Akçaabat experience earthquakes with magnitudes of 2 to 3 along the coast. This raises the question of whether landslides in the Eastern Black Sea region are caused by these earthquakes,” Ersoy noted.