Reviewed by USGSTurkey115y ago
M6.2 earthquake 23 km NE of Biga, Turkey
Saturday, August 10, 1912, 09:23:48 UTC · 40.396°N, 27.402°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 23 km NE of Biga, Turkey on Saturday, August 10, 1912, 09:23:48 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on August 9, 1912.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
33 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 70 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
31 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
10 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 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 6 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.2Aegean SeaNovember 8, 1905 · 238 km W of this epicenter
- 7.225 km SE of Malkara, TurkeyAugust 9, 1912 · 44 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.111 km ENE of Elhovo, BulgariaFebruary 15, 1909 · 212 km N of this epicenter
- 6.021 km NNE of Karaburun, TurkeyJanuary 19, 1909 · 188 km S of this epicenter
- 5.830 km SE of Marmara Ereğlisi, TurkeyOctober 22, 1905 · 77 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.310 km SE of Sárti, GreeceNovember 9, 1905 · 285 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 52 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 44,274 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1883M7.3
Ayvalik, Izmir, Cesme
15 Oct 1883 · 255 km away · intensity X
15,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1881M7.3
Khios; Turkey: Cesme
3 Apr 1881 · 258 km away · intensity XI
7,866 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1719
Turkey
25 May 1719 · 175 km away · intensity X
6,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1766M6.5
Turkey
22 May 1766 · 142 km away · intensity X
4,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1912M7.2
Marmara Sea
9 Aug 1912 · 44 km away
2,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1855M6.7
Tayabas, Bursa
28 Feb 1855 · 146 km away · intensity X
2,200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.