Shallow M4.7 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Afternoon near Afşin in Türkiye.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 22nd, 2023. Last updated October 21st, 2023.

In the early afternoon of Tuesday August 22nd, 2023, a shallow Magnitude 4.7 earthquake hit under land 30 kilometer from Afşin in Türkiye. Another country near the epicenter is Syria.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Türkiye, 30 kilometer (19 mi) northwest of Afşin in Kahramanmaraş. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 14 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 22, 2023 13:17 (Istanbul Time) - Aug 22, 2023 10:17 Universal Time.
Location:	30 km NW of Afşin, Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. Coordinates 38°25'55"N 36°39'31"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.7 Detected by 26 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 .
Depth:	14 km (9 mi) A very shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Türkiye and Syria are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Afşin in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 30 kilometer (19 mi) northwest of Afşin.

Major cities near this earthquake: Gaziantep is located 165 km to the south-southeast. Aleppo is located 252 km to the south. Adana is located 199 km to the southwest.

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.

Overview of nearby places

Shaking reported by 2 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Turkey.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Elazığ, Elazığ, Turkey: 1 person.
• Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey: 1 person.

10 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 10 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 32 km (20 mi) south of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 days later. It measured a magnitude of 3.8

In the days before this main shock, 15 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 10th, 2023, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 138 km (86 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on February 6th, 2023.

In total, 102 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.7 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every month.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 21/10/23 04:57 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000kq2s
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230822_0000102
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: