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Turkey Earthquakes – Anatolia, Marmara and the Aegean

Recent Earthquake Activity Across Turkey

Explore available USGS earthquake records for Turkey and selected surrounding waters. This map shows events of magnitude 1.5 and above that meet the page’s regional filters. Choose the last hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days, then select a marker for the reported magnitude, location, UTC and depth. Refreshing the page loads the latest available dataset.

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Regional coverage: This page uses geographical bounds and catalogue location descriptions to select events in and around Turkey. Offshore earthquakes in the Aegean, Mediterranean, Black Sea or Sea of Marmara can fall close to more than one regional boundary. Events felt in Turkey may therefore also appear on neighbouring pages, while some small locally detected earthquakes may be absent from the USGS catalogue.

Last updated: UTC

Anatolia Is Being Pushed, Sheared and Stretched

Turkey occupies one of the most complicated earthquake regions in the eastern Mediterranean. The Arabian Plate is moving northward into Eurasia, while the Anatolian block moves generally westward. The right-lateral North Anatolian Fault and left-lateral East Anatolian Fault accommodate much of that sideways motion, but they are not the country’s only earthquake sources.

Western Anatolia is also being stretched, creating numerous normal faults and elongated basins. To the south, the African Plate descends beneath the region along the Hellenic and Cyprus arcs. Eastern Turkey contains collision-related faults and folds near the Bitlis–Zagros zone. These different settings explain why earthquakes occur across a much wider area than the two best-known fault lines.

Magnitude alone does not determine the consequences. Depth, distance from settlements, rupture direction, local soils and the condition of buildings all influence the shaking people experience. Our earthquake magnitude guide explains why the magnitude of an earthquake and its intensity at a particular location are not the same measurement.

The North Anatolian Fault and the Sea of Marmara

The North Anatolian Fault is a major right-lateral strike-slip system extending across northern Turkey towards the northern Aegean. Blocks on opposite sides move mainly sideways relative to one another. A sequence of destructive twentieth-century earthquakes ruptured sections of the system from eastern Turkey towards the west, including the 1939 Erzincan, 1943 Tosya, 1944 Bolu, 1967 Mudurnu and 1999 İzmit and Düzce earthquakes.

The fault becomes more complicated beneath and around the Sea of Marmara. It should not be imagined as one perfectly straight, unbroken line. Recent research describes a network of interacting branches and segments with different characteristics. The GFZ Helmholtz Centre’s assessment of the Marmara fault system explains why this complexity matters when estimating possible earthquake scenarios.

The April 2025 Mw6.2 earthquake offshore from Silivri occurred on the Kumburgaz segment, according to AFAD’s preliminary assessment. It was widely felt across Istanbul and generated a substantial aftershock sequence. It did not remove the wider earthquake hazard around the Sea of Marmara, nor did it provide a reliable timetable for a future larger rupture.

Istanbul’s Risk Is Serious, but Earthquakes Are Not Scheduled

Istanbul’s population, dense development and proximity to active faults make earthquake risk a major planning concern. The issue is not that scientists know an earthquake is “imminent” or that the city is “overdue” on a calendar. No method can predict the exact time, location and magnitude of a future earthquake. Probability estimates describe risk over a period of years or decades; they are not countdowns.

A 2026 World Health Organization summary of Istanbul’s preparedness challenge cites peer-reviewed estimates placing the chance of an M7 or larger earthquake affecting the city over the coming decades at roughly 40–60%. The range reflects uncertainty in how the fault system behaves. It supports long-term preparation, not claims that a specific earthquake can be forecast.

Risk also varies across the metropolitan area. Soft ground can amplify shaking, while vulnerable buildings can turn strong ground motion into disaster. Retrofitting, enforcing construction standards, protecting hospitals and utilities, and planning neighbourhood-level response are therefore as important as studying the fault itself.

The East Anatolian Fault and the 2023 Ruptures

The East Anatolian Fault is a left-lateral strike-slip system forming an important part of the boundary between the Anatolian and Arabian plates. On 6 February 2023, the region experienced two exceptionally destructive earthquakes. The first ruptured a long section of the East Anatolian fault system; the second occurred hours later on the Çardak fault farther north.

Different agencies reported slightly different magnitudes. USGS uses Mw7.8 and Mw7.5, while AFAD’s national reporting uses Mw7.7 and Mw7.6. That is normal when agencies use different data, methods and magnitude solutions. The USGS review of the 2023 sequence estimates that the first rupture extended for about 354 km and the second for about 161 km.

The human consequences were immense. Official figures cited by the World Health Organization record 53,697 deaths and 107,213 injuries in Turkey, with millions evacuated. The disaster affected a vast area across southern Turkey and northern Syria. The World Bank’s early assessment placed direct physical damage in Turkey at approximately US$34.2 billion, before the full cost of recovery and reconstruction.

Western Turkey Is Pulling Apart

Western Anatolia has a different tectonic character from the long strike-slip faults crossing the north and southeast. The crust is extending, and normal faults border a series of basins known collectively as the Aegean graben system. Earthquakes occur around İzmir, Manisa, Denizli, Muğla, Balıkesir and neighbouring provinces, as well as beneath the eastern Aegean Sea.

The 2025 Sındırgı sequence showed why western Turkey cannot be treated as a quieter space between the North and East Anatolian faults. Two Mw6.1 earthquakes struck the Balıkesir region on 10 August and 27 October. AFAD’s report on the August earthquake places the rupture within the Simav Fault Zone and describes normal faulting associated with regional extension. Later research found that the two earthquakes ruptured nearby but distinct structures.

Earthquakes in the eastern Aegean may affect both Turkey and Greece. A national label in an international catalogue usually describes the nearest named place; it does not mean the shaking or tsunami effects stop at a maritime border.

Southern Turkey, the Cyprus Arc and Eastern Collision

South of Turkey, the plate boundary curves through the eastern Mediterranean. The Cyprus arc is the more relevant subduction and collision system south of central and eastern Turkey, while the Hellenic arc lies farther west towards Crete and southern Greece. Faulting around Cyprus, the Gulf of Antalya and the Mediterranean coast reflects this changing boundary rather than one uniform trench.

Farther east, the Dead Sea Transform approaches southern Turkey and the Bitlis–Zagros collision zone marks the broader meeting of Arabia and Eurasia. Compression, strike-slip movement and inherited crustal weaknesses combine across eastern Anatolia. This is why an event in Van, Elazığ or Şanlıurfa may have a different geological source from an earthquake of similar magnitude near Istanbul or İzmir.

Earthquakes That Changed Turkey

These selected events show how Turkey’s earthquake history spans several fault systems and different kinds of disaster. Historical magnitudes and casualty totals are less certain than modern instrumental measurements, and even modern agencies can publish different magnitude solutions. This is a selection of consequential events rather than a complete ranking of the country’s largest earthquakes.

1509 – The Sea of Marmara and Constantinople

A destructive earthquake affected Constantinople and communities around the Sea of Marmara. Ottoman accounts describe widespread building damage and coastal flooding, but exact losses and a modern magnitude cannot be established with the precision available for recent events. AFAD includes the 1509 event in its historical review of Marmara earthquakes.

1939 – Erzincan

The late-December Erzincan earthquake began the best-known twentieth-century sequence of major ruptures along the North Anatolian Fault. Magnitude estimates are commonly around 7.8–7.9. AFAD records nearly 33,000 deaths and at least 100,000 injuries, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in Turkey’s modern history.

1999 – İzmit and Düzce

The Mw7.6 İzmit earthquake on 17 August ruptured the North Anatolian Fault through the heavily populated Marmara region. Official accounts record more than 17,000 deaths, extensive industrial losses and severe damage across Kocaeli, Sakarya, Yalova and Istanbul. On 12 November, the Mw7.1 Düzce earthquake extended the disaster eastward. The paired catastrophes transformed national emergency management, building policy and public awareness.

2011 – Van

The Mw7.1 Van earthquake struck eastern Turkey on 23 October. Erciş and surrounding communities experienced severe building collapse, followed by damaging aftershocks. The event arose within the compressional tectonic setting of eastern Anatolia rather than on the North or East Anatolian faults themselves, showing why Turkey’s hazard cannot be reduced to two lines on a map.

2020 – Elazığ and the eastern Aegean

Two different earthquakes made 2020 an important year in Turkey’s recent seismic history. In January, an Mw6.7 earthquake near Sivrice and Elazığ ruptured part of the East Anatolian Fault and caused deadly building collapses. In October, the Mw7.0 Samos earthquake struck the eastern Aegean, producing destructive shaking and a tsunami in İzmir Province and on the Greek island of Samos.

2023 – Pazarcık, Elbistan and southern Turkey

The 6 February sequence devastated eleven Turkish provinces and areas of northern Syria. Long surface ruptures, severe winter conditions and the collapse of vulnerable buildings produced one of the twenty-first century’s deadliest disasters. It remains central to Turkey’s reconstruction, building-safety debate and emergency planning.

2025 – Marmara and the Sındırgı sequence

The April Mw6.2 Silivri earthquake brought renewed attention to the fault system beneath the Sea of Marmara. Later that year, two Mw6.1 Sındırgı earthquakes struck western Turkey on 10 August and 27 October. They were not one continuous rupture: studies indicate nearby but structurally distinct fault segments within the extensional setting of western Anatolia. Together, these events made 2025 Turkey’s most consequential earthquake year since the 2023 catastrophe.

Shaking, Landslides and Tsunami Risk

Strong shaking is the main earthquake hazard across Turkey, but secondary effects can add to the damage. Steep terrain can experience rockfalls and landslides, while loose or water-saturated ground can amplify motion or lose strength. Surface fault rupture can damage roads, pipelines and structures built directly across an active trace.

Turkey also has a history of earthquake-generated waves in the Aegean, Mediterranean and Sea of Marmara. The 2020 Samos earthquake produced a damaging tsunami along the İzmir coast. Not every offshore earthquake generates a tsunami: the source must displace enough water, and magnitude, depth and fault movement all matter.

If strong or prolonged shaking occurs near the coast, or the sea suddenly withdraws or rises unusually, move inland or towards higher ground and follow official instructions. Do not go to a beach, harbour or waterfront to watch. A global earthquake map is not a tsunami-warning service.

Preparing Before the Ground Moves

Preparedness begins with the building and the immediate surroundings. Turkey’s earthquake hazard map describes expected ground-motion hazard; it does not certify an individual building as safe. Construction quality, alterations, soil conditions and whether seismic rules were followed all affect risk.

• Before an earthquake: secure tall furniture and heavy objects, identify safe cover and keep shoes, a torch, medication, water and essential supplies accessible.
• During indoor shaking: drop, cover and hold on where possible. Protect your head and neck, stay away from windows and do not rush towards stairs or lifts.
• Outdoors: move away from buildings, walls, signs, glass and overhead lines when it is safe to do so.
• Afterwards: expect aftershocks, avoid damaged buildings and follow AFAD and local-authority instructions. In an immediate emergency in Turkey, call 112.

AFAD provides national information on earthquake preparation and protective actions. Our earthquake safety guide can help turn that advice into a household plan.

How Earthquakes in Turkey Are Monitored

AFAD operates Turkey’s national earthquake observation network and publishes official event information, focal-mechanism solutions, catalogues and assessment reports. Its earthquake department says it analyses an average of approximately 30,000 earthquakes each year. The Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute also operates an important seismic network and publishes event solutions.

The General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration, known as MTA, maps active faults and investigates surface ruptures and paleoseismic evidence. Its Active Fault Map of Turkey provides geological context, while AFAD’s hazard map estimates levels of expected ground motion. An active-fault map and a hazard map answer related but different questions.

This page uses USGS data so its map can be compared consistently with other regions worldwide. Differences between USGS, AFAD and Kandilli do not automatically indicate an error. Agencies can detect different sets of small events, use different station networks and revise magnitude, depth or location as more information becomes available.

🗺️ Explore Nearby Earthquake Regions

Turkey spans southeastern Europe and western Asia. This site places the page within Europe for navigation, while linking to neighbouring regions across both continents.

• Europe earthquakes – the wider continental overview and live regional map.
• Greece earthquakes – the Aegean, Hellenic arc and faults west of Turkey.
• Balkans earthquakes – active faults across southeastern Europe.
• Iran earthquakes – collision and faulting farther east.
• Recent earthquakes worldwide – available global records beyond the region.

Last updated: UTC