Based on recent seismic activity and the history of the North Anatolian fault south of Istanbul, there is definitely a very high probability that the city will be hit with a major earthquake over the next three decades. Istanbul is the economic and cultural center of Turkey, and there must be an organized effort to protect the city and its people.

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As a result, the unsupported portion of the column is very rigid and brittle so that earthquake forces concentrate too much on the column, causing it to break.

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