Reviewed by USGSTurkey78y ago
M7.2 earthquake 9 km NNW of Karaburun, Turkey
Saturday, July 23, 1949, 15:03:35 UTC · 38.718°N, 26.480°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 9 km NNW of Karaburun, Turkey on Saturday, July 23, 1949, 15:03:35 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on August 9, 1912.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (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
829 kilotons of TNT
That is about 55 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,738 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
53 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Aegean Sea and Anatolian 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.4 on July 30, 1949. 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 103 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.2Aegean SeaNovember 8, 1905 · 221 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.225 km SE of Malkara, TurkeyAugust 9, 1912 · 230 km N of this epicenter
- 7.03 km ESE of Soma, TurkeyNovember 18, 1919 · 113 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.05 km NNW of Kéfalos, GreeceJune 26, 1926 · 218 km S of this epicenter
- 6.97 km NNE of Ágios Nikólaos, GreeceSeptember 26, 1932 · 294 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.7TurkeyOctober 6, 1944 · 88 km N of this epicenter
- 6.730 km SW of Kumbağ, TurkeySeptember 13, 1912 · 227 km N of this epicenter
- 6.56 km N of Tríkeri, GreeceJanuary 20, 1905 · 298 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 68 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 33,920 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1883M7.3
Ayvalik, Izmir, Cesme
15 Oct 1883 · 52 km away · intensity X
15,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1881M7.3
Khios; Turkey: Cesme
3 Apr 1881 · 56 km away · intensity XI
7,866 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1912M7.2
Marmara Sea
9 Aug 1912 · 230 km away
2,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1855M6.7
Tayabas, Bursa
28 Feb 1855 · 279 km away · intensity X
2,200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1894M6.7
Turkey
10 Jul 1894 · 283 km away · intensity X
1,349 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1855M6.7
Bursa
29 Apr 1855 · 279 km away
1,300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.