EXPLAINER - Why was the Turkey-Syria earthquake so bad?

A damaged vehicle is seen on top the rubbles after an earthquake in Iskenderun, Turkey February 6, 2023. Efekan Akyuz/Depo Photos via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday is likely to be one of the deadliest this decade, seismologists said, with a more than 100 km (62 miles) rupture between the Anatolian and Arabian plates.

Here is what scientists said happened beneath the earth's surface and what to expect in the aftermath: