7.8 magnitude earthquake created a deep chasm in the middle of an olive field in Turkey

The damage suffered by a Turkish city by the earthquake 0:49

(CNN) --

An olive grove split in two during last week's devastating earthquake in Turkey, creating a 1,000-foot valley that now bisects the area.

Images of the divided olive grove emerged in the Altınozu district of southeastern Turkey, which borders Syria, showing a jagged, sand-colored, canyon-like abyss.

The cleft reaches more than 40 meters deep.

His creation is another demonstration of the devastating power of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6, which killed tens of thousands of people in Syria and Turkey and destroyed entire villages.

Irfan Aksu, who lives in the neighbourhood, told the Turkish news agency Demioren that when the quake started last Monday it created "an incredible sound" where he lived.

“It was like a battlefield when we woke up,” he said.

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This is how the canyon that emerged in the middle of a Turkish olive grove during the earthquake was left.

(Credit: DHA)

He implored that experts inspect the area for possible future damage.

“This is not a small town, there are 1,000 houses and 7,000 people live here,” she said.

"Of course we are afraid... if it had been a little closer, it would have passed through our town."

Last Monday's earthquake was the strongest in the world since an 8.1-magnitude quake struck a region near the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean in 2021, though the remote location of that incident resulted in few damage.

Turkey is no stranger to strong earthquakes, as it is situated along tectonic plate boundaries.

Seven earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or greater have struck the country in the past 25 years, but last Monday's was the deadliest.

Several factors have contributed to making this earthquake so deadly.

One of them is the time of day that it occurred.

As the quake struck early in the morning, many people were in their beds when it struck and are now trapped under the rubble of their houses.

earthquake turkey