Reviewed by USGSTurkey108y ago
M7.0 earthquake 3 km ESE of Soma, Turkey
Tuesday, November 18, 1919, 21:54:41 UTC · 39.176°N, 27.652°E
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 3 km ESE of Soma, Turkey on Tuesday, November 18, 1919, 21:54:41 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on October 3, 1914.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 10 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 kilotons of TNT
That is about 32 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,000 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
54 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
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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 19 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.2Aegean SeaNovember 8, 1905 · 278 km W of this epicenter
- 7.225 km SE of Malkara, TurkeyAugust 9, 1912 · 179 km N of this epicenter
- 7.115 km WSW of Burdur, TurkeyOctober 3, 1914 · 273 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.730 km SW of Kumbağ, TurkeySeptember 13, 1912 · 172 km N of this epicenter
- 6.223 km NE of Biga, TurkeyAugust 10, 1912 · 137 km N of this epicenter
- 6.14 km SE of Megálo Chorió, GreeceAugust 11, 1904 · 202 km S of this epicenter
- 6.021 km NNE of Karaburun, TurkeyJanuary 19, 1909 · 101 km W of this epicenter
- 6.016 km NNW of Senirkent, TurkeyJanuary 16, 1918 · 267 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 56 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 52,594 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1883M7.3
Ayvalik, Izmir, Cesme
15 Oct 1883 · 159 km away · intensity X
15,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1881M7.3
Khios; Turkey: Cesme
3 Apr 1881 · 159 km away · intensity XI
7,866 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1719
Turkey
25 May 1719 · 234 km away · intensity X
6,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1914M7.0
Burdur, Kilinc, Keciborlu, Isparta
3 Oct 1914 · 273 km away · intensity IX
4,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1766M6.5
Turkey
22 May 1766 · 214 km away · intensity X
4,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1912M7.2
Marmara Sea
9 Aug 1912 · 179 km away
2,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.