Fact check: False claim HAARP is responsible for the earthquake in Turkey

Eleanor McCrary, USA TODAY
·3 min read
45

The claim: HAARP research program induced Turkey earthquakes

A Feb. 7 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) features a video compilation of destruction purportedly from the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

"What really happened in Turkey?" reads part of the post's caption. "A haarp generated earthquake."

It was shared more than 500 times in less than a week.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Our rating: False

The earthquakes occurred naturally in a well-known fault zone, seismologists said. The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, studies the ionosphere and "cannot create or amplify natural disasters," its program manager says.

Turkey earthquakes occurred naturally

More than 36,000 people are dead after earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, USA TODAY reported. Experts said the disaster was natural and not the result of any human system.

"Nobody has the ability to intentionally create a large earthquake with any degree of certainty," said Rachel Abercrombie, a seismologist at Boston University. "Various human activities – such as building large water reservoirs and fracking and waste-water injection related to hydrocarbon extraction and geothermal energy projects – can induce earthquakes, but never as large as this."

Fact check: False claim that Turkey earthquakes were a man-made attack on Kurdish people

Induced earthquakes do not reach magnitudes above the mid-5 range, said Jonathan Stewart, an environmental engineering professor at the University of California in Los Angeles. The earthquakes in Turkey and Syria were much larger, at magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5.

The countries lie near the intersection of several tectonic plates, according to a map by the American Museum of Natural History.

"The earthquakes this week were not induced, but natural earthquakes associated with a known major fault zone," said Ian Main, a seismology and rock physics professor at the University of Edinburgh.

Auroral research program cannot influence natural disasters

The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, uses high-frequency radio waves to study the ionosphere, or the region between the lower atmosphere and outer space.

Neither the ionosphere nor radio waves can induce earthquakes – naturally or artificially – said Toshi Nishimura, an ionospheric researcher at Boston University.

The HAARP program manager, Jessica Matthews, agreed.

"The recent earthquake and tragic loss of life in Turkey highlight the destruction that natural disasters can cause," she said. "The research equipment at the HAARP site cannot create or amplify natural disasters."

Fact check: False claim ‘chemtrails’ and HAARP are used to manipulate the weather

USA TODAY has debunked a variety of false claims about the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, including an incorrectly attributed image of a collapsed building and an erroneous claim that a video shows a tsunami during the earthquake.

USA TODAY reached out to social media users who shared the post for comment.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim HAARP is responsible for Turkey earthquakes