On February 6, 2023, catastrophic earthquakes struck Turkey, causing extensive destruction and numerous casualties. These seismic events immediately captured the attention of the global geophysical community, leading to the emergence of preprints and articles analyzing various aspects of the earthquakes on the Internet and in print. The Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth journal also received submissions from Russian scientists containing the results of their geophysical investigations related to the Turkish earthquakes. Consequently, the editorial board of the journal decided to dedicate a special issue to this topic. This issue features articles by Russian scientists from academic institutions and universities: Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IFZ RAN); Institute of Earthquake Prediction Theory and Mathematical Geophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ITPZ RAN); Institute of Geosphere Dynamics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IDG RAN); Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (GIN RAN), Kola branch of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IZMIRAN), the Faculties of Physics and Geology at Moscow State University, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, as well as colleagues from Firat University in Turkey.

The articles included in this issue cover a wide range of subjects.

The geological situation and tectonic position of the earthquakes are described in the article by H. Çelik et al., along with the seismic rupture parameters obtained through fieldwork conducted in the earthquake’s epicentral zone by researchers from the Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in collaboration with Turkish colleagues. D.A. Simonov and V.S. Zakharov present the results of a preliminary seismotectonic analysis based on GNSS observations in their article. Yu.L. Rebetsky’s article presents the tectonophysical zoning of seismogenic faults in Eastern Anatolia based on estimations and analysis of Coulomb stresses.

R.E. Tatevosian et al. provide insights into the historical earthquake of 1888 along the northeastern extension of the East Anatolian faults, including an estimate of its magnitude.

A.I. Filippova and A.S. Fomochkina developed models of displacements in earthquake sources based on surface seismic waves, while V.O. Mikhailov et al. utilized satellite interferometry data on displacements on the Earth’s surface. O.V. Pavlenko and V.A. Pavlenko investigated the effects of radiation directivity of earthquake sources.

V.B. Smirnov et al. present the results of a posteriori analysis of seismic regime anomalies preceding the earthquake in Turkey. S.V. Baranov et al. offer an earthquake aftershock hazard assessment using an automated system previously developed by the authors.

The articles by V.V. Adushkin et al. and S.A. Riabova et al. consider the geomagnetic and geoelectric effects induced by the Turkish earthquakes.

Special Issue Editors

V.B. Smirnov

P.N. Shebalin