What to know about the big quake that hit Turkey and Syria

By MADDIE BURAKOFF
AP Science Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — A major 7.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Turkey has caused widespread damage across the region. Scientists say Monday’s epicenter was in southern Turkey, near the northern border of Syria. Thousands were killed in both countries. More than a dozen significant aftershocks were recorded and shaking is expected to continue for weeks. The earthquake was a strike-slip quake, in which two tectonic plates grind past each other horizontally. It occurred in a seismically active region known as the East Anatolia fault zone, near populated areas. Thousands of buildings were toppled, trapping residents under rubble.