A devastating earthquake struck Türkiye and Syria on 6 February 2023. The death toll has reached 5,000 already and it could climb eightfold, says WHO. But what’s the science behind these terrifying events? An earthquake happens when sections of the Earth’s crust - known as tectonic plates - grind past each other. These plates lie over the Earth’s mantle. Which behaves like thick, slow-moving caramel. Friction holds the moving plates in place but when the pressure becomes too much, they slip, and the ground shakes as it releases the pent-up energy.