List of earthquakes in Turkey

Map of plate boundaries affecting Turkey

This is a list of earthquakes in Turkey, including any notable historical earthquakes that have epicenters within the current boundaries of Turkey, or which caused significant effects in this area. This list is incomplete.

Location of major earthquakes in Turkey with year of occurrence

Tectonic setting

Turkey is a seismically active area within the complex zone of collision between the Eurasian Plate and both the African and Arabian Plates. Much of the country lies on the Anatolian Plate, a small plate bounded by two major strike-slip fault zones, the North Anatolian Fault and East Anatolian Fault. The western part of the country is also affected by the zone of extensional tectonics in the Aegean Sea caused by the southward migration of the Hellenic arc. The easternmost part of Turkey lies on the western end of the Zagros fold and thrust belt, which is dominated by thrust tectonics.

Seismic hazard

Seismic hazard for Turkey from the Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program (GSHAP) in terms of peak ground acceleration with a 10% chance of being exceeded (or a 90% chance of not being exceeded) within the next 50 years

Seismic hazard in Turkey is highest along the plate boundaries, but there is a significant risk of damaging earthquakes almost anywhere in the country.

List of notable earthquakes

Date Time‡ Place Latitude Longitude Fatalities Magnitude Comments Sources
17 CE
n/a
 Alaşehir
see Alaşehir earthquake		 38.21 28.31
n/a
n/a
n/a
 [1]
December 13, 115 Antioch
see 115 Antioch earthquake		 36.1 36.1 ~260,000 7.5 Ms [2]
141 (or 142) Lycia, Caria, Dodecanese
see 141 Lycia earthquake		 36.7 28.0
n/a
 VIII Triggered a severe tsunami that caused inundation at Rhodes [3]
May 19, 526 Antioch
see 526 Antioch earthquake		 250,000 VIII The city of Antioch was greatly damaged, and some decades later the city's population was just 300,000. [4]
December 14, 557 just before midnight Constantinople
see 557 Constantinople earthquake		 40.9 28.7
n/a
 X (Intense) Constantinople was "almost completely razed to the ground" by the earthquake. [5]
1268 Cilicia, Anatolia
see 1268 Cilicia earthquake		 37.5 35.5 60,000 ~7 –
September 10, 1509 Constantinople
see 1509 Constantinople earthquake		 40.9 28.7 10,000 7.2 Mw –
February 23, 1653 Smyrna
see 1653 East Smyrna earthquake		 38.2 28.2 2,500 7.5 [6]
August 17, 1668 Anatolia 40 36 8,000 8 USGS
July 10, 1688 11:45 Smyrna
see 1688 Smyrna earthquake		 38.4 26.9 16,000 7.0 Ms [7]
February 28, 1855 01:00 Bursa
see 1855 Bursa earthquake		 40.2 29.1 1,900 6.7 [8]
June 2, 1859 10:30 Erzurum
see 1859 Erzurum earthquake		 39.9 41.3 15,000 6.1 Ms [9]
April 3, 1881 11:30 Chios, Çeşme, Alaçatı
see 1881 Chios earthquake		 38.25 26.25 7,866 7.3 Mw [10]
July 10, 1894 12:24 Gulf of Izmit
see 1894 Istanbul earthquake		 40.73 29.25 1,300 7.0 [11]
April 29, 1903 01:46 local time Malazgirt
see 1903 Malazgirt earthquake		 39.14 42.65 600 6.7 Ms [12][13]
August 9, 1912 03:29 local time Mürefte
see 1912 Mürefte earthquake		 40.75 27.2 216 7.3 MS [12][13]
October 4, 1914 00:07 local time Burdur
see 1914 Burdur earthquake		 37.82 30.27 300 6.9 MS [12][13]
September 13, 1924 16:34 local time Horasan
see 1924 Pasinler earthquake		 40.0 42.1 60 6.8 Ms [12][13]
October 22, 1926 21:59 local time Kars
see 1926 Kars earthquake		 40.7 43.7 360 6.0 Ms [14]
March 31, 1928 02:29 local time Smyrna 38.5 28.0 50 6.5 MS Possible M=6.2 foreshock previous day [12][13]
May 18, 1929 08:37 local time Suşehri 40.2 37.9 64 6.1 Ms [12][13]
January 4, 1935 16:41 local time Erdek 40.4 27.5 5 6.4 Ms [12][13]
April 19, 1938 12:59 local time Kırşehir 39.1 34.0 160 6.6 MS [12][13]
September 22, 1939 02:36 local time Dikili 39.1 26.8 60 6.6 MS [12][13]
December 26, 1939 23:57 Erzincan
see 1939 Erzincan earthquake		 39.77 39.53 32,700 7.8 MS USGS
November 15, 1942 19:01 local time Bigadiç 39.2 28.2 16 6.1 MS [12][13]
December 20, 1942 14:03 Erbaa
see North Anatolian Fault		 40.87 36.47 3000 7.0 [15]
June 20, 1943 17:32 local time Hendek 40.6 30.5 336 6.6 MS [12][13]
November 26, 1943 22:24 Ladik
see North Anatolian Fault		 41.05 33.72 4000 7.4 [15]
February 1, 1944 03:25 Gerede
see North Anatolian Fault		 40.8 32.2 3959 7.5 [15]
October 6, 1944 04:34 local time Ayvalık 39.37 26.53 30 6.8 MS [12][13]
August 17, 1949 Karlıova
see North Anatolian Fault		 39.54 40.57 450 6.8 [15]
August 13, 1951 18:36 Kurşunlu
see North Anatolian Fault		 40.88 32.87 50 6.9 [15]
March 18, 1953 21:06 local time Yenice 40.02 27.53 265 7.2 MS [12][13]
July 16, 1955 09:07 local time Söke 37.55 27.05 23 6.8 MS [12][13]
April 25, 1957 04:25 local time Fethiye 36.5 28.6 67 7.1 MS [12][13]
May 26, 1957 6:36 Abant
see North Anatolian Fault		 40.67 31.00 52 7.1 [15]
October 6, 1964 16:31 local time Manyas 40.1 27.93 23 7.0 MS [12][13]
August 19, 1966 12:23 Varto
see Varto earthquake		 39.17 41.56 2396 6.7 [15]
July 22, 1967 16:56 Mudurnu
see North Anatolian Fault		 40.67 30.69 89 7.2 [15]
September 3, 1968 10:19 local time Bartın 41.79 32.31 29 6.5 MS [12][13]
March 28, 1969 03:48 local time Alaşehir 38.5 28.4 53 6.5 MS [12][13]
March 28, 1970 23:02 local time Gediz
see Gediz earthquake		 39.2 29.5 1086 7.2 MS [12][13]
May 22, 1971 16:44 Bingöl
see North Anatolian Fault		 38.83 40.52 1000+ 6.9 [16]
September 6, 1975 12:20 local time Lice 38.5 40.7 2385 6.6 MS [12][13]
November 24, 1976 14:22 local time Muradiye
see 1976 Çaldıran-Muradiye earthquake		 39.12 44.03 3840 7.5 MS [12][13]
October 30, 1983 07:12 local time Erzurum 40.33 42.19 1155 6.9 MS [12][13]
March 13, 1992 17.18 Erzincan
see North Anatolian Fault		 39.70 39.69 498 6.8 [17]
October 1, 1995 17:57 local time Dinar
see 1995 Dinar earthquake		 38.06 30.13 90 6.1 MS [12][13]
June 27, 1998 16:55 local time Ceyhan
see Adana-Ceyhan earthquake		 36.88 35.31 146 6.2 MS [12][13]
August 17, 1999 03:02 local time Izmit
see Izmit earthquake		 40.77 30 17,127 7.6 M (PDE Monthly Listing) An official Turkish estimate of October 19, 1999, placed the toll at 17,127 killed and 43,959 injured, but many sources suggest the actual figure may have been closer to 45,000 dead and a similar number injured.[18] USGS
November 12, 1999 18:57 local time Düzce
see Düzce earthquake		 40.75 31.16 894 7.2 M (PDE Monthly Listing) USGS
February 3, 2002 07:11 Afyon 38.573 31.271 44 6.5 Mw (HRV) [19]
January 27, 2003 05:26 Pülümür 39.46 39.79 1 6.1 Mw (HRV, USGS) USGS
May 1, 2003 00:27 Bingöl
see Bingöl earthquake		 39.01 40.46 177 6.4 Mw (HRV, USGS) [20]
March 8, 2010 02:32 Elâzığ
see 2010 Elâzığ earthquake		 38.87 39.99 41 6.1 Mw (HRV) [21]
May 19, 2011 23:15 Kütahya Province
see 2011 Kütahya earthquake		 39.14 29.07 2 5.8 Mw (HRV) [22]
October 23, 2011 13:41 Van Province
see 2011 Van earthquake		 38.63 43.49 604 7.2 Mw (HRV) [23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Internet Classics Archive. "Tacitus Annales Book 2, 47". Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  2. ↑ National Geophysical Data Center. "Comments for the Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  3. ↑ "Comments for the tsunami event". Significant Earthquake Database. National Geophysical Data Center. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  4. ↑ Procopius, II.14.6; sources based on John of Ephesus
  5. ↑ Agathias; Frendo, Joseph D. (1975), The histories, Walter de Gruyter, ISBN 978-3-11-003357-1
  6. ↑ NGDC. "Comments for the 1653 Earthquake". Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  7. ↑ NGDC. "Comments for the 1688 Earthquake". Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  8. ↑ NGDC. "Comments for the 1855 Earthquake". Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  9. ↑ NGDC. "Comments for the 1859 Earthquake". Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  10. ↑ NGDC. "Comments for the 1881 Earthquake". Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  11. ↑ Ambraseys, N. (January 2001). "The earthquake of 10 July 1894 in the Gulf of Izmit (Turkey) and its relation to the earthquake of 17 August 1999". Journal of Seismology (Kluwer Academic Publishers) 5 (1): 117–128. doi:10.1023/A:1009871605267. ISSN 1573-157X.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 12.9 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.19 12.20 12.21 12.22 12.23 Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute National Earthquake Monitoring Center (NEMC) List of earthquakes 1900-2004 (In Turkish)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 13.9 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15 13.16 13.17 13.18 13.19 13.20 13.21 13.22 13.23 IISEENET (Information Network of Earthquake disaster Prevention Technologies) - Search Page
  14. ↑ NGDC. "Comments for the 1926 Earthquake". Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 Toksoz, M.N., Shakal, A.F. & Michael, A.J. 1979. Space-Time Migration of Earthquakes Along the North Anatolian Fault Zone and Seismic Gaps. Pageophys, 117, 1258-1270.
  16. ↑ USGS list of earthquakes with 1,000 or More Deaths since 1900
  17. ↑ Bernard, P., Gariel, J-C. & Dorbath L. 1997. Fault location and rupture kinematics of the magnitude 6.8, 1992 Erzincan earthquake, Turkey, from strong ground motion and regional records. Bulletin Seismological Society of Americs, 87, 1230-1243.
  18. ↑ Marza, Vasile I. (2004). "On the death toll of the 1999 Izmit (Turkey) major earthquake" (PDF). ESC General Assembly Papers, Potsdam: European Seismological Commission.
  19. ↑ USGS. "Significant Earthquakes of the World 2002".
  20. ↑ USGS. "Significant Earthquakes of the World 2003".
  21. ↑ USGS. "Magnitude 6.1 - eastern Turkey".
  22. ↑ USGS. "Magnitude 5.8 - WESTERN TURKEY".
  23. ↑ USGS. "Magnitude 7.2 - EASTERN TURKEY".