Why is Turkey prone to earthquakes? Last year saw 20,277 quakes

Turkey was rocked by powerful earthquakes on Monday (February 6) that left thousands dead and over 3,000 buildings collapsed.

The country’s disaster management agency said earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 also generated dozens of aftershocks. The first quake rocked southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.

Orhan Tatar, an official from the Turkish disaster agency, told the media that the two quakes were independent of each other. He said hundreds of aftershocks were expected after both. The aftershock was felt as far as the eastern Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus.

Also read: Turkey jolted by two earthquakes

Earthquake-prone Turkey

Turkey is not new to earthquakes. The region sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes.

Some 18,000 were killed in similarly powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.

In 2022, Turkey witnessed 20,277 earthquakes, according to Bulent Ozmen, associate professor, Gazi University Earthquake Engineering Application and Research Center.

Also read: New method to assess seismic vulnerabilities of buildings

Stephen Hicks, a research fellow in seismology at Imperial College London, wrote on Twitter that Monday’s earthquake was the joint-largest quake ever recorded in Turkey .

In a series of tweets, he wrote, “Just seeing the early & truly devastating imagery of damage from the M7.8 Turkey earthquake, it is clear the impact we be huge & this event will go down in history. One of the largest instrumentally-recorded onshore strike-slip earthquakes to take a direct hit at a populated area.

“Just looking at the distribution of magnitude 7 and greater quakes since instrumental records began (~1900), today’s M7.8 event is by far the largest quake ever recorded in this region. Most large earthquakes have occurred along the Northern Anatolian Fault in N. Turkey.

“In fact, without too much doubt, I think today’s earthquake might go down as the joint largest – if not the largest – quake ever to be instrumentally recorded in Turkey. The previous largest event was an M7.8 quake in December 1939 in NE Turkey, close to the N. Anatolian Fault.”

Just seeing the early & truly devastating imagery of damage from the M7.8 Turkey earthquake, it is clear the impact we be huge & this event will go down in history. One of the largest instrumentally-recorded onshore strike-slip earthquakes to take a direct hit at a populated area

— Stephen Hicks 🇪🇺 (@seismo_steve) February 6, 2023

Explaining the reason behind Monday’s quakes, he said, “The Northern Anatolian Fault has received much attention in recent years due to the apparent westward migration of large quakes toward Istanbul. But today’s M7.8 earthquake seems to be related to the East Anatolian Fault zone that offsets the Arabian and Anatolian tectonic plates.”

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“Turkey, a hotbed of seismic activity, sits on the Anatolian Plate, which borders two major faults as it grinds northeast against Eurasia. The North Anatolian fault, which traverses the country from west to east, and the East Anatolian fault, which rests in the country’s southeastern region,” wrote New York Times while listing major earthquakes in the country since 1999.

Between 1950 and 2020, more than 35,600 people died from the direct consequences of earthquakes in Turkey. During that period, there were six earthquakes that also caused a subsequent tsunami, which claimed further lives, and cause additional damage, reported World Data portal.

20,000-plus earthquakes every year since 2011

According to Statista website, Turkey, since 2011, has recorded 20,000-plus earthquakes each year with 2017 being the highest with 38,287.

“As Turkey’s geographical area is located almost entirely on fault lines, thousands of earthquakes of various magnitudes happen each year. In 2021, the Turkish Disaster & Emergency Management Authority documented over 23,000 earth tremors. Additionally, the year with the highest earthquakes recorded was 2017, with over 38,000,” it said.

Deadly earthquakes in Turkey

1939 – The Turkish earthquake of December 26, 1939, was one of the largest shocks ever recorded on Anatolia. As many as 33,000 people were killed. The epicentre was between Erzincan and Erzuruffi, which is about 160 km from the coast of the Black Sea. The focal depth of the earthquake was 27 km. The main shock had a magnitude of 7.9-8 on the Richter scale. The intensity near the epicentre was between 11-12 degrees on the Mercal1i-Cancani scale. Many other rather strong, intermittent shocks and aftershocks occurred in the week following the main shock. The earthquake caused a small tsunami in the Black Sea, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

1999 – On August 17, 1999, more than 17,000 people were killed, nearly 50,000 injured, thousands missing, about 500,000 people homeless and estimated $3 to $6.5 billion damage in Istanbul, Kocaeli and Sakarya provinces after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake felt as far east as Ankara. The duration of strong shaking was 37 seconds, said NOAA.

2011 – On October 23, 2011, a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake jolted southeast Turkey. More than 600 people were killed.

2020 – Earthquake of 7 magnitude near Turkey’s coast in October 2020. It resulted in casualties in Greece while 24 were killed in Turkey. The same year in January, a magnitude 6.7 quake struck eastern Turkey, and at least 22 people were killed. Tremors were felt in Syria, Georgia and Armenia resulting in injuries to hundreds of people.

Number of earthquakes in Turkey since 2000

• 2000 – 745
• 2001 – 599
• 2002 – 1,078
• 2003 – 1,914
• 2004 – 7,682
• 2005 – 9,481
• 2006 – 5,038
• 2007 – 7,820
• 2008 – 11,754
• 2009 – 15,211
• 2010 – 19,023
• 2011 – 29,831
• 2012 – 26,973
• 2013 – 23,607
• 2014 – 24,132
• 2015 – 22,290
• 2016 – 20,541
• 2017 – 38,287
• 2018 – 22,899
• 2019 – 23,481
• 2020 – 33,824
• 2021 – 23,763
• 2022 – 20,277

As per a report shared by Anadolu Agency (AA), in 2022, at least one earthquake with a magnitude of above 4.0 took place every three days in Turkey and its closest surrounding.

(With inputs from agencies)