Reviewed by USGSTurkey78y ago
M5.5 earthquake 26 km WSW of Karlıova, Turkey
Wednesday, August 17, 1949, 20:45:26 UTC · 39.218°N, 40.717°E
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 26 km WSW of Karlıova, Turkey on Wednesday, August 17, 1949, 20:45:26 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on August 17, 1949.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/5 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
2 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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.3 on August 23, 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 48 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.820 km NNE of Erzincan, TurkeyDecember 26, 1939 · 124 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.918 km ESE of Pasinler, TurkeySeptember 13, 1924 · 128 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.813 km NNE of Sincik, TurkeyDecember 4, 1905 · 215 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.814 km ENE of Yedisu, TurkeyAugust 17, 1949 · 32 km N of this epicenter
- 6.326 km ENE of Koyulhisar, TurkeyFebruary 9, 1909 · 260 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3TurkeyMay 18, 1929 · 253 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.028 km E of Kars, TurkeyMay 1, 1935 · 275 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.04 km NNE of Erzincan, TurkeyNovember 12, 1941 · 121 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 34 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 61,414 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1939M7.8
Erzincan
26 Dec 1939 · 124 km away · intensity XII
32,700 deaths$20 million damagetsunami
- 1859M6.1
Erzurum
2 Jun 1859 · 91 km away
15,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1784
Erzurum,Erzincan
23 Jul 1784 · 117 km away
5,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1903M6.3
Malazgirt
28 Apr 1903 · 154 km away · intensity X
3,560 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1903M5.8
Varginis,Cardahli,Mehkerek
28 May 1903 · 252 km away · intensity VIII
1,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1946M5.9
Ustukran
31 May 1946 · 57 km away · intensity VIII
840 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.