Reviewed by USGSTurkey70y ago
M5.4 earthquake 2 km E of Hendek, Turkey
Wednesday, May 29, 1957, 10:17:46 UTC · 40.799°N, 30.777°E
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 2 km E of Hendek, Turkey on Wednesday, May 29, 1957, 10:17:46 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.8 on May 27, 1957.
- Magnitude
- 5.4
- 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
2 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/8 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
21 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.5 on June 1, 1957. 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 82 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.610 km WNW of Orta, TurkeyFebruary 1, 1944 · 188 km E of this epicenter
- 7.56 km SSE of Ilgaz, TurkeyNovember 26, 1943 · 242 km E of this epicenter
- 7.37 km N of Gönen, TurkeyMarch 18, 1953 · 274 km W of this epicenter
- 7.113 km SSW of Düzce, TurkeyMay 26, 1957 · 27 km E of this epicenter
- 7.014 km S of Eflani, TurkeyAugust 13, 1951 · 191 km E of this epicenter
- 6.4TurkeyJune 20, 1943 · 39 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.39 km WNW of Marmara, TurkeyJanuary 4, 1935 · 281 km W of this epicenter
- 6.223 km SE of Yenice, TurkeyMay 2, 1928 · 192 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 33 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 27,490 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1719
Turkey
25 May 1719 · 116 km away · intensity X
6,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1943M7.5
Ladik, Samsun, Havza
26 Nov 1943 · 242 km away · intensity XI
4,020 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1766M6.5
Turkey
22 May 1766 · 150 km away · intensity X
4,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1944M7.6
Turkey
1 Feb 1944 · 188 km away · intensity X
2,381 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1855M6.7
Tayabas, Bursa
28 Feb 1855 · 157 km away · intensity X
2,200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1754M6.8
Izmit
2 Sep 1754 · 133 km away · intensity IX
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.