Reviewed by USGSTurkey115y ago
M7.2 earthquake 25 km SE of Malkara, Turkey
Friday, August 9, 1912, 01:29:02 UTC · 40.730°N, 27.121°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 25 km SE of Malkara, Turkey on Friday, August 9, 1912, 01:29:02 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on November 8, 1905.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VIII
- Severe (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.1 megatons of TNT
That is about 70 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,213 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
1 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Anatolian and Eurasian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.2 on August 10, 1912. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 5 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.2Aegean SeaNovember 8, 1905 · 223 km W of this epicenter
- 6.111 km ENE of Elhovo, BulgariaFebruary 15, 1909 · 170 km N of this epicenter
- 6.021 km NNE of Karaburun, TurkeyJanuary 19, 1909 · 217 km S of this epicenter
- 5.830 km SE of Marmara Ereğlisi, TurkeyOctober 22, 1905 · 90 km E of this epicenter
- 5.310 km SE of Sárti, GreeceNovember 9, 1905 · 269 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 46 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 43,595 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1883M7.3
Ayvalik, Izmir, Cesme
15 Oct 1883 · 282 km away · intensity X
15,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1881M7.3
Khios; Turkey: Cesme
3 Apr 1881 · 286 km away · intensity XI
7,866 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1719
Turkey
25 May 1719 · 192 km away · intensity X
6,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1766M6.5
Turkey
22 May 1766 · 158 km away · intensity X
4,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1912M7.2
Marmara Sea
9 Aug 1912 · 0 km away
2,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1855M6.7
Tayabas, Bursa
28 Feb 1855 · 177 km away · intensity X
2,200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.