A shallow MAG-4.5 earthquake struck under land 23 kilometer from Al Ḩasakah in Syria just before midnight of Wednesday September 13th, 2023. Other countries near the epicenter include Türkiye and Iraq.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Syria, 23 kilometer (14 mi) west-northwest of Al Ḩasakah in Al-Hasakah. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 13, 2023 11:40PM (Damascus Time) - Sep 13, 2023 20:40 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 23 km WNW of Al Ḩasakah, Al-Hasakah, Syria. Coordinates 36°33'23"N 40°29'46"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.5 |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 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
3 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Syria , Türkiye and Iraq .
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Al Ḩasakah in Al-Hasakah, Syria. Al Ḩasakah is located 23 kilometer (14 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter.
Major cities near this earthquake: Al Mawşil al Jadīdah is located 235 km to the east. Mosul is located 236 km to the east. Diyarbakır is located 153 km to the north.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 23 km (14 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Al Ḩasakah Al-Hasakah, Syria. |
| 51 km (32 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ceylanpınar Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 59 km (37 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Ad Darbāsīyah Al-Hasakah, Syria. |
| 71 km (44 mi) N from epicenter |
Kızıltepe Mardin, Türkiye. |
| 86 km (53 mi) NE from epicenter |
Nusaybin Mardin, Türkiye. |
| 87 km (54 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Mardin Mardin, Türkiye. |
| 91 km (57 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Yeşilli Mardin, Türkiye. |
| 99 km (62 mi) NW from epicenter |
Viranşehir Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 122 km (76 mi) NE from epicenter |
Midyat Mardin, Türkiye. |
| 126 km (78 mi) E from epicenter |
Sinjār Nineveh, Iraq. |
| 139 km (86 mi) W from epicenter |
Akçakale Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 139 km (86 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Deir ez-Zor Deir ez-Zor, Syria. |
| 144 km (89 mi) N from epicenter |
Bismil Diyarbakır, Türkiye. |
| 149 km (93 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ar Raqqah Ar-Raqqah, Syria. |
| 151 km (94 mi) NE from epicenter |
İdil Şırnak, Türkiye. |
| 153 km (95 mi) N from epicenter |
Diyarbakır Diyarbakır, Türkiye. |
| 154 km (96 mi) NE from epicenter |
Dargeçit Mardin, Türkiye. |
| 158 km (98 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Batman Batman, Türkiye. |
| 166 km (103 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Şanlıurfa Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 169 km (105 mi) NW from epicenter |
Siverek Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 171 km (106 mi) S from epicenter |
Al Mayādīn Deir ez-Zor, Syria. |
| 173 km (107 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Cizre Şırnak, Türkiye. |
| 178 km (111 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hilvan Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 182 km (113 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Silvan Diyarbakır, Türkiye. |
| 185 km (115 mi) NE from epicenter |
Kurtalan Siirt, Türkiye. |
| 190 km (118 mi) S from epicenter |
Subaykhān Deir ez-Zor, Syria. |
| 190 km (118 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Suruç Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 191 km (119 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Silopi Şırnak, Türkiye. |
| 192 km (119 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ath Thawrah Ar-Raqqah, Syria. |
| 195 km (121 mi) W from epicenter |
‘Ayn al ‘Arab Aleppo, Syria. |
| 197 km (122 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Bozova Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 199 km (124 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Çermik Diyarbakır, Türkiye. |
| 199 km (124 mi) NE from epicenter |
Siirt Siirt, Türkiye. |
| 201 km (125 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Ergani Diyarbakır, Türkiye. |
| 204 km (127 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Şırnak Şırnak, Türkiye. |
| 206 km (128 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Zaxo Duhok, Iraq. |
| 215 km (134 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kâhta Adıyaman, Türkiye. |
| 225 km (140 mi) E from epicenter |
Dihok Duhok, Iraq. |
| 227 km (141 mi) W from epicenter |
Manbij Aleppo, Syria. |
| 229 km (142 mi) E from epicenter |
Sīnah Duhok, Iraq. |
| 235 km (146 mi) E from epicenter |
Al Mawşil al Jadīdah Nineveh, Iraq. |
| 236 km (147 mi) E from epicenter |
Mosul Nineveh, Iraq. |
| 238 km (148 mi) NW from epicenter |
Adıyaman Adıyaman, Türkiye. |
| 246 km (153 mi) W from epicenter |
Nizip Gaziantep, Türkiye. |
| 257 km (160 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Muş Muş, Türkiye. |
| 259 km (161 mi) N from epicenter |
Bingöl Bingöl, Türkiye. |
| 261 km (162 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Elazığ Elazığ, Türkiye. |
| 267 km (166 mi) W from epicenter |
Al Bāb Aleppo, Syria. |
| 267 km (166 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tatvan Bitlis, Türkiye. |
| 277 km (172 mi) NW from epicenter |
Malatya Malatya, Türkiye. |
| 278 km (173 mi) SSE from epicenter |
‘Anah Al Anbar, Iraq. |
| 283 km (176 mi) W from epicenter |
Gaziantep Gaziantep, Türkiye. |
| 295 km (183 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tunceli Tunceli, Türkiye. |
| 299 km (186 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tadmur Homs, Syria. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).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 24th, 2023, when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit 275 km (171 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on January 24th, 2020.
In total, 101 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5 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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 12/11/23 11:38 (). 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.
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230913_0000147
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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