List of earthquakes in Turkey

Turkey has had many earthquakes. This list includes any notable historical earthquakes that have epicenters within the current boundaries of Turkey, or which caused significant effects in this area. Overall, the population in major cities like Istanbul resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake resistant construction.

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 sub-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 in Turkey is highest along the plate boundaries, but there is a significant risk of damaging earthquakes almost anywhere in the country. Seismic maps that show risk have changed through time.

Buildings

List of notable earthquakes Historical earthquakes in Turkey (before 1900) Date Time‡ Place Lat Long Deaths Imax Comments Sources 17 n/a Philadelphia (Alaşehir) 38.21 28.31 n/a n/asee AD 17 Lydia earthquake 13 December 115 Antioch 36.1 36.1260,0007.5 Ms see 115 Antioch earthquake 4 January 141 (or 142) Lycia, Caria, Dodecanese 36.7 28.0 n/a n/a Triggered a severe tsunami that caused inundation at Rhodes; see 141 Lycia earthquake 21 December 262 South and west coasts of Anatolia 36.5 27.8 n/a n/a Damaged many buildings at Ephesus and triggered a tsunami that hit coastal cities; see 262 Southwest Anatolia earthquake 26 January 447 Night Bithynia, Thrace, Byzantine Empire 41.008 28.978Unknown Date uncertain, severely damaged the Theodosian walls in Constantinople see 447 Constantinople earthquake 20 May 526 Antioch 250,000 7.0 The city of Antioch was greatly damaged, and some decades later the city's population was just 300,000. see 526 Antioch earthquake Procopius, II.14.6; sources based on John of Ephesus15 August 554AnatoliaThe earthquake severely damaged the city of Tralles (modern Aydın) and the island of Kos; See 554 Anatolia earthquake 14 December 557 just before midnight Constantinople 40.9 28.7 n/a 6.4 Constantinople was "almost completely razed to the ground" by the earthquake. see 557 Constantinople earthquake 23 September 1063 Constantinople, Sea of Marmara 40.867 27.411 7.15 see 1063 Marmara earthquake 14 May 1269 Cilicia, Anatolia 37.5 35.5 60,000 ~7 see 1269 Cilicia earthquake – 10 September 1509 Constantinople 40.9 28.7 13,000 7.2 Mwsee 1509 Constantinople earthquake – May 1598 Amasya and Çorum 40.6 35.4 60,000 6.7 see 1598 Amasya–Çorum earthquake – 23 February 1653 Smyrna 38.2 28.22,5007.5 see 1653 East Smyrna earthquake 17 August 1668 Anatolia 40 368,0008 see 1668 North Anatolia earthquake 10 July 1688 11:45 Smyrna 38.4 26.916,0007.0 Ms see 1688 Smyrna earthquake 22 May 1766 05:10 Istanbul 40.8 29.04,0007.1 see 1766 Istanbul earthquake 5 August 1766 Dardanelles 40.6 27.05,0007.4 see 1766 Marmara earthquake 18 July 1784 Erzincan 39.5 40.25,000–>10,0007.6 see 1784 Erzincan earthquake 2 July 1840 Ağrı 39.6 44.110,0007.4 May have triggered the last eruption of Mount Ararat. Casualties associated with a large landslide on the volcano.see 1840 Ahora earthquake 28 February 1855 01:00 Bursa 40.2 29.11,9006.7 see 1855 Bursa earthquake 2 June 1859 10:30 Erzurum 39.9 41.315,0006.1 Ms see 1859 Erzurum earthquake 12 May 1866 Bingöl 39.2 41.0680+7.2 Ms see 1866 Bingöl earthquake 3 April 1872 – Hatay 36.4 36.41,8007.2 Ms see 1872 Amik earthquake – Afyonkarahisar 38.3 29.91,3006.77 see 1875 Dinar earthquake 3 April 1881 11:30 Chios, Çeşme, Alaçatı 38.25 26.257,8667.3 Mw see 1881 Chios earthquake 10 October 1883 13:30 Çeşme, İzmir, Ayvalık 38.3 26.253–1207.3 Ms see 1883 Çeşme earthquake 10 July 1894 12:24 Gulf of İzmit 40.73 29.251,3007.0 see 1894 Istanbul earthquake 20 September 1899 04:00 Büyük Menderes Graben 37.9 28.11,4707.1 see 1899 Aydın–Denizli earthquake

1900–1999 Date Time‡ Place Lat Long Deaths Comments Sources 29 April 1903 01:46 local time Malazgirt 39.14 42.65 6006.7 Ms see 1903 Manzikert earthquake 9 August 1912 03:29 local time Mürefte 40.75 27.22167.3 MS see 1912 Mürefte earthquake 4 October 1914 00:07 local time Burdur 37.82 30.272,3446.9 MS see 1914 Burdur earthquake 18 November 1919 00:54 local time Balıkesir 39.18 27.653,0007.0 see 1919 Ayvalık earthquake 13 September 1924 16:34 local time Horasan 40.0 42.1606.8 see 1924 Pasinler earthquake 22 October 1926 21:59 local time Kars 40.7 43.73606.0 Mssee 1926 Kars earthquake 31 March 1928 02:29 local time Smyrna 38.5 28.0506.5 MS Possible M=6.2 foreshock previous day 18 May 1929 08:37 local time Suşehri 40.2 37.9646.1 see 1929 Suşehri earthquake 7 May 1930 00:34 local time Hakkâri 38.1 44.72,5147.2–7.5 Mssee 1930 Salmas earthquake 4 January 1935 16:41 local time Erdek 40.4 27.556.4 Ms 19 April 1938 12:59 local time Kırşehir 39.1 34.01606.6 MS see 1938 Kırşehir earthquake 22 September 1939 02:36 local time Dikili 39.1 26.8606.6 MS 27 December 1939 01:57 local time Erzincan 39.77 39.5332,7007.8 Mw see 1939 Erzincan earthquake 15 November 1942 19:01 local time Bigadiç 39.2 28.2166.1 MS 20 December 1942 14:03 Erbaa 40.87 36.473,000 7.0 Ms see 1942 Niksar–Erbaa earthquake 20 June 1943 17:32 local time Hendek 40.6 30.53366.6 MS see 1943 Adapazarı–Hendek earthquake 26 November 1943 22:20 Ladik 40.87 33.652,824–5,000 7.5 Mw see 1943 Tosya–Ladik earthquake 1 February 1944 03:25 Gerede 40.8 32.23,959 7.5 see 1944 Bolu–Gerede earthquake 6 October 1944 04:34 local time Ayvalık 39.37 26.53306.8 MSsee 1944 Gulf of Edremit–Ayvacik earthquake 17 August 1949 Karlıova 39.54 40.57450 6.8see 1949 Karlıova earthquake 13 August 1951 18:36 Kurşunlu 40.88 32.8750 6.9see 1951 Kurşunlu earthquake 3 January 1952 08:03 local time Hasankale 39.9 41.7415.8 see 1952 Hasankale earthquake 18 March 1953 21:06 local time Yenice 40.02 27.532657.2 MS see 1953 Yenice–Gönen earthquake 7 September 1953 05.58 local time Ovacık, Karabük 41.08 33.01 26.0 16 July 1955 09:07 local time Söke 37.55 27.05236.8 MS 22 February 1956 22:31 local time Eskişehir 39.89 30.4916.4 25 April 1957 04:25 local time Fethiye 36.5 28.6677.1 MSsee 1957 Fethiye earthquakes 26 May 1957 6:36Abant 40.67 31.0052 7.1see 1957 Abant earthquake 6 October 1964 16:31 local time Manyas 40.1 27.93237.0 MSsee 1964 Manyas earthquake 19 August 1966 12:23Varto 39.17 41.562,394 6.8 Mw see 1966 Varto earthquake 22 July 1967 16:56 Mudurnu 40.67 30.6989 7.2 see North Anatolian Fault 3 September 1968 10:19 local time Bartın 41.79 32.31296.5 MS see 1968 Bartın earthquake 28 March 1969 03:48 local time Alaşehir 38.5 28.4536.5 MS see 1969 Alaşehir earthquake 28 March 1970 23:02 local time Gediz 39.2 29.51,0867.2 MSsee 1970 Gediz earthquake 12 May 1971 08:25 local time Burdur 37.5 29.9576.1 MS 22 May 1971 16:44 Bingöl 38.83 40.52755 6.9 Mw see 1971 Bingöl earthquake USGS list of earthquakes with 1,000 or More Deaths since 1900 6 September 1975 12:20 local time Lice 38.5 40.72,3116.6 MS see 1975 Lice earthquake 24 November 1976 14:22 local time Muradiye 39.12 44.034,0007.5 MSsee 1976 Çaldıran–Muradiye earthquake 25 March 1977 Palu 38.728 40.088305.2 30 October 1983 07:12 local time Erzurum 40.33 42.191,3426.9 MS see 1983 Erzurum earthquake 13 March 1992 17.18 Erzincan 39.70 39.69498 6.7 Mw see 1992 Erzincan earthquake 1 October 1995 17:57 local time Dinar 38.06 30.13 906.1 MSsee 1995 Dinar earthquake 27 June 1998 16:55 local time Ceyhan 36.88 35.31 1466.3 Mw see 1998 Adana–Ceyhan earthquake 17 August 1999 03:02 local time İzmit 40.77 3017,127–18,3737.6 Mwsee 1999 İzmit earthquake 12 November 1999 18:57 local time Düzce 40.75 31.168947.2 Mw(PDE Monthly Listing); see 1999 Düzce earthquakeUSGS

2000–present Date Time‡ Place Lat Long Deaths Comments Sources 3 February 2002 07:11 Afyon 38.573 31.271446.5 Mw(HRV); see 2002 Afyon earthquake 27 January 2003 05:26 Pülümür 39.46 39.7916.1 Mw(HRV, USGS)USGS 1 May 2003 00:27 Bingöl 39.01 40.461776.4 Mw(HRV, USGS); see 2003 Bingöl earthquake 2 July 2004 01:30 Ağrı 39.71 44.02185.1 Mw(HRV); see 2004 Doğubayazıt earthquake 8 March 2010 02:32 Elazığ 38.79 40.03416.1 Mw(HRV); see 2010 Elazığ earthquake 19 May 2011 23:15 Kütahya 39.14 29.0725.8 Mw(HRV); see 2011 Kütahya earthquake 23 October 2011 13:41 Van 38.63 43.496047.2 Mw(HRV); see 2011 Van earthquakes 9 November 2011 19:23 Van 38.42 43.22405.6 Mw (HRV): see 2011 Van earthquakes 02014-05-2424 May 2014 12:25 local time Imbros 40.31 25.4506.9 Mw(HRV); see 2014 Aegean Sea earthquake 24 MAYIS 2014 GÖKÇEADA AÇIKLARI – EGE DENİZİ DEPREMİ , Kandilli Observatory (Retrieved 2 January 2018) 21 July 2017 01:31 local time Bodrum 36.92 27.412 (in the Greek island of Kos)6.6 Mw(HRV); see 2017 Aegean Sea earthquake 02019-09-2626 September 2019 13:59 local time Marmara region 40.89 28.1715.7 Mw(HRV); see 2019 Istanbul earthquake 02019-09-2624 January 2020 20:55 local time Elazığ, Malatya 38.390 39.081416.7 Mw(HRV); see 2020 Elazığ earthquake 02019-09-2623 February 2020 08:53 local timeIran–Turkey border38.394344.3405105.8 Mw(HRV); see 2020 Iran–Turkey earthquakes 19:00 local time38.394344.34056.0 Mw 14 June 2020 16:24 local timeBingöl39.4240.6715.9 Mwsee 2020 Bingöl earthquake 30 October 2020 14:51 local timeAegean Sea37.91826.7901177.0 see 2020 Aegean Sea earthquake 23 November 2022 04:08 local time Düzce 40.847 30.967 2 6.1 see 2022 Düzce earthquake 6 February 2023 04:17 local time Kahramanmaraş 37.112 37.119 62,013 (53,537 in Turkey, 8,476 in Syria) 7.8 see 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes 13:24 local time 38.036 37.229 7.5–7.7 20 February 2023 20:04 local time Defne 36.113 36.082 11 (6 in Turkey, 5 in Syria) 6.4 27 February 2023 12:04 local time Yeşilyurt 38.2535 38.2932 2 5.2 23 April 2025 12:49 local time Istanbul, Sea of Marmara 40.840 28.142 1 (indirect) 6.2 see 2025 Istanbul earthquake 3 June 2025 02:17 local time Muğla 36.8 28.3 1 (indirect) 5.8 Earthquake off Marmaris coast. 10 August 2025 19:53 local time Balıkesir 39.312 28.069 1 6.1 see 2025 Balıkesir earthquakes 27 October 2025 22:48 local time Balıkesir 39.223 28.228 1 6.0

See also Geology of Turkey List of earthquakes in the Levant

References

Further reading

External links

1:25,000 scale fault maps (click the square to see a map if there are faults) Seismic Risk Map (requires logon with Turkish ID)