"The Arabian plate has moved about 3 meters in a northeast-southwest direction regarding the Anatolian plate. We're speaking about a structure in the border zone between this world, the Arabian Plate, and the Anatolian Plate," he told an Italian daily newspaper.
The scientist clarified that this was as if Turkey had moved to the southwest.
Doglioni also said that the total fault size amounted at least 150 kilometers (93 miles), adding that everything happened in a matter of dozens of seconds.
A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake with several powerful aftershocks rattled parts of Turkey and Syria on Monday morning, toppling thousands of homes and killing over 4,000 in both countries. Many international organizations and world leaders have offered assistance to the Turkish and Syrian authorities to address the consequences of the disaster.