Aftershocks following an earthquake as large as the one in Turkey that killed at least 500 people in Turkey and Syria, can continue for "several days, several weeks, maybe even several months."

Chris Elders, professor at the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Curtin University in Perth Australia, has said, according to Al Jazeera.

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Earthquake kills more than 3,800 in Turkey, Syria

"People will continue to feel the effects of the earthquake for some time in this area," the professor told Al Jazeera.

Saying that there are records of multiple aftershocks of earthquakes which measured to magnitude four to five, the expert added that even those are "very worrying."

The earthquake occurred at a relatively shallow depth of about 17 kilometres below the earth's surface, Chris Elders said adding that it means the quake was felt with "much greater intensity than if it was deeper in the crust."