2011 Van Earthquakes: Lessons from Damaged Masonry Structures

On October 23 and November 9, 2011, two earthquakes struck the Van Province in eastern Turkey. Masonry buildings in the region were severely damaged. This paper presents an investigation on the seismic performance of masonry dwellings after the 2011 Van earthquakes. The seismicity of the region and its seismic hazards were considered, and a door-to-door reconnaissance study was conducted after these strong earthquakes to examine the seismic response of the masonry structures. Rural regions particularly suffered extensive damage from these earthquakes, and the reasons for the observed damage are complex. Regulations of the current Turkish earthquake code for masonry structures were compared with field observations, and the latest and draft versions of the code regarding masonry buildings were evaluated. Approaches to enhancing the seismic behavior of masonry dwellings are discussed. On the basis of the field investigation, the construction quality and control issues were fundamental factors that affected the performance of masonry dwellings. Hence, out-of-plane and in-plane behaviors contributed to the observed damage.