Reviewed by USGSTurkey2d ago
M5.3 earthquake 15 km SSW of Hilvan, Turkey
Thursday, September 24, 2026, 07:40:58 UTC · 37.474°N, 38.861°E
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 15 km SSW of Hilvan, Turkey on Thursday, September 24, 2026, 07:40:58 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 9 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VI (strong). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.4 on May 20, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 9
- Max intensity VI
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
83 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Anatolian and Arabian 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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey | V · Moderate | 2 | 138 km |
| Urfa, Şanliurfa, Turkey | VI · Strong | 1 | 35 km |
| ar-Raqqah, ar-Raqqah, Syria | IV · Light | 1 | 172 km |
| Halfeti, Şanliurfa, Turkey | III · Weak | 1 | 91 km |
| Aleppo, H̨alab, Syria | III · Weak | 1 | 204 km |
| Mardin, Mardin, Turkey | III · Weak | 1 | 170 km |
| Adana, Adana, Turkey | I · Not felt | 1 | 318 km |
| Ankara, Ankara, Turkey | I · Not felt | 1 | 589 km |
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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 198 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8Pazarcik earthquake, Kahramanmaras earthquake sequenceFebruary 6, 2023 · 166 km W of this epicenter
- 7.820 km NNE of Erzincan, TurkeyDecember 26, 1939 · 278 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5Elbistan earthquake, Kahramanmaras earthquake sequenceFebruary 6, 2023 · 158 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.813 km NNE of Sincik, TurkeyDecember 4, 1905 · 78 km N of this epicenter
- 6.814 km ENE of Yedisu, TurkeyAugust 17, 1949 · 275 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.714 km E of Nurdağı, TurkeyFebruary 6, 2023 · 177 km W of this epicenter
- 6.77 km ENE of Lice, TurkeySeptember 6, 1975 · 197 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.78 km W of Cimin, TurkeyMarch 13, 1992 · 257 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 51 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 103,315 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2023M7.8
Kahramanmaras; Syria
6 Feb 2023 · 164 km away · intensity IX
56,697 deaths$43 billion damagetsunami
- 1939M7.8
Erzincan
26 Dec 1939 · 278 km away · intensity XII
32,700 deaths$20 million damagetsunami
- 1784
Erzurum,Erzincan
23 Jul 1784 · 254 km away
5,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1975M6.7
Lice
6 Sep 1975 · 197 km away · intensity IX
2,311 deaths$17 million damage
- 1872M7.3
Antakya (Antioch), Suedije
3 Apr 1872 · 276 km away · intensity X
1,800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1971M6.7
Bingol
22 May 1971 · 206 km away · intensity VIII
995 deaths$5 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.