What's happening?

The earthquakeThe shaking of the surface of the Earth after a sudden burst of energy at a tectonic plate boundary. struck in the middle of the night while most people were still asleep in their beds. They did not have any time to find safety.

In the early hours of Monday morning, a huge earthquake hit TurkeyOfficially the Republic of Turkiye, a country that lies partly in Europe and partly in Asia at the east of the Mediterranean. and SyriaA Middle Eastern country that was the site of much of the fighting during the Crusades.. Then, later in the morning, a second earthquake hit another town nearby. 

Thousands of buildings have fallen apart. So far, rescuers think more than 4,800 people have died. A huge mission is underway to search for survivors. 

An earthquake takes place when the surface of the Earth shakes and moves. This happens when there is a sudden burst of energy under the Earth's surface. 

Earthquakes are not new. They have been happening for many thousands of years. But now some experts think climate change could make disasters like earthquakes more common. 

Find out more

Today, most people agree that climate change can affect the weather, making heavy rainfall or heatwaves more common. 

But climate scientist Bill McGuire says the surface of the Earth could be affected too. Melting glaciersA slowly moving mass of ice formed by snow building up on mountains. and rising sea levels could put pressure on the Earth in different places - and maybe even cause more earthquakes, volcanoesThe term originates from Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.  and tsunamisTidal waves. The term comes from two Japanese words meaning harbour and waves.. 

Yes! Climate change affects more things than we ever imagine. We need to solve this problem now to stop more disasters. 

No! Earthquakes have been happening for many thousands of years - long before human action caused climate change.