Seismological investigations of fireworks factory explosions in Hendek-Sakarya (Turkey)

Abstract

On July 3, 2020, a sequence of explosions occurred in the Hendek fireworks factory in Sakarya, Turkey. The explosion caused great material damage and loss of life. In this study, seismic and acoustic waves related to the explosion are investigated in the time and frequency domain. Two explosions are identified in the seismic record of the explosion. The origin time for the first explosion was determined as 08:15:16.25 (UTC) and the second explosion 08:16:51.49 (UTC). The local magnitude for both explosions was measured as 1.7 and 1.3, respectively. The Fourier spectra are dominated by frequencies between 6 and 8 Hz for seismic waves and about 40 Hz for acoustic waves. By examining the seismograms in both time and frequency domains, it was determined that at least five more explosions occurred apart from two big explosions.