Reviewed by USGSTurkey50y ago
M5.0 earthquake 21 km NE of Erciş, Turkey
Monday, January 17, 1977, 05:19:23 UTC · 39.172°N, 43.518°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 21 km NE of Erciş, Turkey on Monday, January 17, 1977, 05:19:23 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on January 1, 1977.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
144 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Arabian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
33 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 M4.7 on February 4, 1977. 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 122 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.347 km S of Doğubayazıt, TurkeyNovember 24, 1976 · 44 km E of this epicenter
- 7.110 km SSW of Salmās, IranMay 6, 1930 · 158 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.918 km ESE of Pasinler, TurkeySeptember 13, 1924 · 165 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.814 km NE of Varto, TurkeyAugust 19, 1966 · 168 km W of this epicenter
- 6.814 km ENE of Yedisu, TurkeyAugust 17, 1949 · 248 km W of this epicenter
- 6.77 km ENE of Lice, TurkeySeptember 6, 1975 · 254 km W of this epicenter
- 6.6TurkeyMay 22, 1971 · 251 km W of this epicenter
- 6.414 km S of Hats’avan, ArmeniaApril 27, 1931 · 211 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 65 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 169,522 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1727
Tabriz
18 Nov 1727 · 275 km away · intensity VIII
77,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1780M7.7
Tabriz
8 Jan 1780 · 267 km away · intensity IX
50,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1859M6.1
Erzurum
2 Jun 1859 · 207 km away
15,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1976M7.0
Muradiye
24 Nov 1976 · 46 km away · intensity X
5,000 deaths$60 million damage
- 1903M6.3
Malazgirt
28 Apr 1903 · 88 km away · intensity X
3,560 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1931M6.3
Zangezur, Nakhitchevan
27 Apr 1931 · 214 km away · intensity VIII
2,890 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.