Reviewed by USGSTurkey88y ago
M6.5 earthquake 9 km NNW of Bergama, Turkey
Friday, September 22, 1939, 00:36:41 UTC · 39.204°N, 27.142°E
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 9 km NNW of Bergama, Turkey on Friday, September 22, 1939, 00:36:41 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on June 26, 1926.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
82 kilotons of TNT
That is about 5 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 172 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
25 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
35 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 58 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.2Aegean SeaNovember 8, 1905 · 237 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.225 km SE of Malkara, TurkeyAugust 9, 1912 · 170 km N of this epicenter
- 7.03 km ESE of Soma, TurkeyNovember 18, 1919 · 44 km E of this epicenter
- 7.05 km NNW of Kéfalos, GreeceJune 26, 1926 · 269 km S of this epicenter
- 6.730 km SW of Kumbağ, TurkeySeptember 13, 1912 · 165 km N of this epicenter
- 6.414 km E of Kardámaina, GreeceApril 23, 1933 · 272 km S of this epicenter
- 6.4TurkeyMarch 31, 1928 · 108 km S of this epicenter
- 6.39 km WNW of Marmara, TurkeyJanuary 4, 1935 · 160 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 58 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 47,216 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1883M7.3
Ayvalik, Izmir, Cesme
15 Oct 1883 · 130 km away · intensity X
15,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1881M7.3
Khios; Turkey: Cesme
3 Apr 1881 · 131 km away · intensity XI
7,866 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1719
Turkey
25 May 1719 · 262 km away · intensity X
6,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1766M6.5
Turkey
22 May 1766 · 238 km away · intensity X
4,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1912M7.2
Marmara Sea
9 Aug 1912 · 170 km away
2,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1855M6.7
Tayabas, Bursa
28 Feb 1855 · 201 km away · intensity X
2,200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.