Snapshot of a shaky nation.

Easing political tensions in Turkey's eastern quake zone, one of the most volatile but least studied parts of the planet, have finally allowed seismologists to investigate the area in detail, as of September 6, 2003. Conflict between Kurdish separatists and Turkish government has made it difficult for earth scientists to get into eastern Turkey since the late 1970s. But by 1999, when a team of geophysicists from several U.S. and Turkish universities were due to start their extensive study, Turkey's military had cracked down on the separatists. The team distributed 29 seismometers across the three tectonic plates in the area. They revealed hidden fault lines that will help local villagers decide how and where to build vital structures such as hospitals and schools.