History of Türkiye Earthquake Regulations and Earthquake Maps

Earthquakes are natural disasters that have a huge destructive effect and cannot be prevented. In order to survive this destructive effect with less damage, various rules and limitations have been introduced to the design of structures over time, and the concept of earthquake-resistant structure design has emerged. Earthquake regulations have emerged by integrating these rules and limitations. A total of ten different earthquake regulations have been enacted in Turkey since 1940. Each of these regulations has been prepared in accordance with the conditions of the period in which they were published. Over time, thanks to the developing technology and information sources, the contents of the regulations have become more detailed and comprehensive. The methods for calculating earthquake load, the value ranges of the coefficients used in the calculation, and the parameters affecting the calculation have been changed in most of the regulations. It is very important for architects and civil engineers to be familiar with the legal regulations so that they can design structures in accordance with the given parts. Earthquake maps, just like earthquake regulations, have developed over time and evolved into their current final form. In this study, the change and development processes of earthquake maps have been examined. The rules and limitations brought by the Turkish Earthquake Regulations for earthquake-compatible structure design have been examined and analyzed. The innovations brought by the regulations regarding earthquake calculation methods and building design principles have been explained. Earthquake load calculation methods and formulas in the regulations were compared.