Since 1950, more than 92,300 people died by the direct consequences of earthquakes. There were 7 earthquakes that also caused a subsequent tsunami, which claimed further lives, and cause additional damage.
As a country situated along major fault lines, Turkey experiences frequent earthquake activity. With thousands of tremors occurring each year, earthquakes are a fact of life for Turkey’s population.
According to data from Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, over 20,000 earthquakes struck the country in 2022 alone From minor tremors to catastrophic seismic events, Turkey must constantly brace itself for the ground to start shaking beneath its feet
A Nation Built On Fault Lines
What causes so many earthquakes to hit Turkey? The answer lies in the country’s geographical location, which sits atop some of the world’s most active fault zones
The North Anatolian Fault and the East Anatolian Fault are two major strike-slip boundaries that run directly through Turkey. As the Anatolian tectonic plate presses westward, these fault lines continuously build up tension until sections suddenly slip, unleashing earthquakes.
In western Turkey, the extensional tectonics of the Aegean Sea also trigger frequent quakes as the area pulls apart. To the east, Turkey connects with the Zagros Mountains and their collision zone geology prone to violent jolts.
Essentially, Turkey spans multiple seismic hotspots where tectonic forces guarantee active faulting and earthquakes.
Tracking Turkey’s Earthquake Activity
With so much seismic activity, Turkish authorities closely monitor earthquake patterns using sensitive equipment. Data collected from seismographs and other sensors helps scientists understand the timing, location, and magnitude of tremors.
In 2022, sensors detected over 20,000 quakes across Turkey. However, the vast majority were micro-earthquakes under 2.0 magnitude that cause minimal shaking.
More concerning are stronger earthquakes above 4.0 magnitude. In 2022, Turkey recorded:
- 127 quakes between 4.0-4.9 magnitude
- 15 quakes between 5.0-5.9 magnitude
- 3 quakes between 6.0-6.9 magnitude
- 1 quake over 7.0 magnitude
While less frequent, moderate to severe quakes have the greatest impact on buildings, infrastructure, and public safety.
History of Deadly Earthquakes
Despite advanced warning systems, major earthquakes still claim lives in Turkey due to outdated building codes.
Over the past century, seismic events like the 1939 Erzincan quake (magnitude 7.8) and 1999 İzmit quake (magnitude 7.6) caused tens of thousands of fatalities each.
In more recent years, the 2011 Van quake (7.2 magnitude) killed over 600 people, while the major 2020 Elazığ quake (6.7 magnitude) took 41 lives.
The 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes registering 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude tragically killed over 50,000 people, exposing the vulnerability of infrastructure to strong seismic shaking.
While the frequency of small tremors may seem alarming, Turkey’s greatest earthquake risk remains more intense but less regular events. Ongoing efforts to update building safety standards seek to reduce the damage of Turkey’s inevitable earthquakes.
Living With Constant Tremors
For Turkish citizens, earthquakes are an ever-present fact of life. From Istanbul to Ankara, residents have grown accustomed to sudden jolts and rattling fixtures.
While frequent small quakes may cause minimal damage, their constant recurrence serves as an unsettling reminder of Turkey’s volatile geology. Each rumble leaves citizens wondering if a bigger quake is coming.
The ubiquitous threat of earthquakes has shaped Turkey’s culture and preparedness. Strict building codes, emergency response plans, and earthquake drills ready the populace for seismic events.
By tracking earthquake patterns and statistics, Turkey works to minimize risks in a region where the ground never stops shaking. But with fault lines crisscrossing the nation, citizens know to expect the jarring forces of nature at any moment.
Accumulated pressure of the earth’s plates
Map: © U.S. Geological Survey, USGS Turkey is located in the Alpidic Mountain Belt, an area that is tectonically quite active, but where earthquakes do not normally occur on a large scale. Most of the country lies on the Anatolian Plate. In the north of the country, the North Anatolian Fault runs a few kilometers inland roughly parallel to the coast of the Black Sea. The border region with Greece between Bolu and the Aegean Sea is considered to be particularly prone to earthquakes.
In the southeast, the country borders the Arabian and African plates, at the edges of which faults extend for hundreds of kilometers. Smaller earthquakes often occur, particularly in the regions bordering Syria and on the coasts of the Mediterranean. It usually takes several hundred years between major earthquakes before the accumulated pressure in the earths crust becomes so great that strong faults with a magnitude of over 6 on the Richter scale occur. Then, however, there is not a single severe earthquake, but the pressure is released in several successive earthquakes. The periods of these earthquake series usually last for years, sometimes even decades.
Severe earthquake on August 12thIn the late evening of August 12th, 2024, a devastating earthquake occurred 23 km west of Hamah at 23:56 local time. Turkey was also affected by this. The quake had a magnitude of 5.0 points on the Richter scale and occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometers. In the course of the following days there were several aftershocks. Three of them with a magnitude of over 5. The most severe aftershock had a magnitude of 4.8. Such violent earthquakes occur only rarely. It is the strongest earthquake in the region for over 4 months.
- Aug. 21, 10:35 amMagnitude 3.5: 83 km east of Ayvalik (Balikesir) at a depth of ten km.
- Aug. 20, 3:57 amMagnitude 3.7: 43 km northwest of Antakya (Hatay) at a depth of ten km.
- Aug. 18, 9:15 pmMagnitude 4.1: 72 km south of Erzurum at a depth of ten km.
- Aug. 16, 1:15 pmMagnitude 4.8: 26 km west of Hamah at a depth of ten km.
- Aug. 13, 3:28 amMagnitude 4.5: 29 km west of Hamah at a depth of 4.8 km.
- Aug. 12, 11:56 pmMagnitude 5.0: 23 km west of Hamah at a depth of ten km.
- Aug. 12, 4:39 pmMagnitude 4.3: 89 km south of Kavála (East Macedonia and Thrace) at a depth of 14.08 km.
- Aug. 12, 4:25 pmMagnitude 4.5: 47 km southwest of Ierissós (Central Macedonia) at a depth of ten km.
- Aug. 12, 1:02 amMagnitude 4.2: 58 km west of Jerewan (Yerevan) at a depth of 1.5 km.
How often do earthquakes occur in Turkey?
FAQ
Is Turkey normally prone to earthquakes?
When was Turkey’s last earthquake?
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Date
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Region
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Magnitude
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02/06/2023
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Turkey; Syria
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7.5
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02/06/2023
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Kahramanmaras; Syria
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7.8
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10/30/2020
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Samos; Turkey (Izmir)
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7.0
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06/25/2020
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Van
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5.4
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Why does Turkey keep having an earthquake?
What country has the most earthquakes?
How many earthquakes occur in Turkey a year?
As Turkey ‘s geographical area is located almost entirely on fault lines, thousands of earthquakes of various magnitudes happen each year. In 2022, the Turkish Disaster & Emergency Management Authority documented over 20 thousand earth tremors.
Why is Turkey prone to earthquakes?
Turkey is prone to earthquakes due to its location on various fault lines. In 2017 alone, Turkey experienced 26,290 earthquakes. Of course, they weren’t all measured at a devastating magnitude, like in the timeline above. A little over 18,000 of those earthquakes only have a magnitude of 2.0 or lower.
How many people have been killed in Turkey’s quake?
Tens of thousands of people have been killed and scores more injured by a huge earthquake which struck south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, in the early hours of Monday morning. The earthquake, which hit near the town of Gaziantep, was closely followed by numerous aftershocks – including one quake which was almost as large as the first.
How long do earthquakes last in Turkey?
An earthquake’s average length is typically between 10 and 30 seconds. However, the most recent earthquake to hit Turkey was reported to have lasted up to 40 seconds. With all of this in mind, it’s safe to say that earthquakes happen daily in Turkey; they’re just not always significant.