# Geotechnical and Structural Damages Caused by the 2023 Kahramanmaras Earthqu in Golbasi (Adyaman)
## 7 Results and Conclusions  
Two major Kahramanmaras earthquakes that occurred on 6 February 2023, in the East Anatolian Fault Zone, one of the main tectonic elements of Turkiye, resulted in great losses of life and property in 11 different provinces. One of the provinces significantly affected by the earthquake was Adyaman. It caused great destruction in Adyaman province, especially in Golbasi district. What makes Golbasi district special is the high level of damage, especially due to ground liquefaction. Following the earthquake couple, Golbasi district was one of the two districts where ground-related damage was most observed. In this context, this study particularly focused on ground-related damages. The study also gave information about the damages occurring in reinforced concrete, masonry, and precast structures in the district center and rural areas. In addition, the damage to mosques and minarets in the district, which were damaged at different levels, was also mentioned. All damages considered in the study were examined within the framework of cause and effect in the context of earthquakes and civil engineering. The main reason for the damage was the low strength of the wall materials used in masonry structures. Heavy earthen roofs, poor masonry, the use of different types of wall materials, and inadequate wall interlocks were the main causes of damage. It is necessary to provide engineering services for masonry buildings, which constitute the majority of the building stock in rural areas. Such structures are generally constructed unconsciously, without taking into account earthquake forces and paying attention to the necessary details. Corner connections on the walls must be constructed properly. Care should be taken not to deviate from the symmetry of the wall layout in the plan, and the required constructive rules should be followed. Demolition of very old masonry structures, in any case of their damage, and renovation of them with projects that provide optimum design principles specific to each rural area will be one of the damage reducing strategies due to new earthquakes. It was determined that most of the damaged reinforced concrete buildings examined were built in accordance with the 1975 earthquake regulation or the previous regulation. The general cause of damage to reinforced concrete structures is the reinforced concrete system that is not designed properly or not built in accordance with the design. The reasons the authors investigated are as follows: inadequate confinement reinforcement that causes longitudinal reinforcement to buckle; using plain reinforcement rebar as reinforcement in general old-type structures; using unprocessed aggregate; excessive segregation in concrete; using low-strength concrete; failing to bend confinement bar by \(135^{\circ}\); not using the RC shear-wall; not using confining reinforcement in column-beam joint areas, etc. All these issues are included in the earthquake-resistant building design rules. In this context, it is important to obtain the necessary engineering services in the implementation of structures designed in accordance with earthquake-resistant building design rules. Under the effect of this earthquake, the significance of the concepts of strength and size for RC buildings has emerged once again. Turkiye is located in a seismically active region due to its location between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. This geological environment leads to interaction between these two major tectonic plates, creating significant seismotectonic stress that results in large earthquakes. More than 95% of the country has the potential to be affected by earthquakes, and most of them are settlements directly affected by faults such as NAFZ and EAFZ. The vulnerability of buildings and infrastructure to strong ground movements is a major concern, especially in areas with high seismic risk.