In the late afternoon of Saturday October 14th, 2023, a shallow MAG-4.6 earthquake hit under land 21 kilometer from Bolu in Türkiye.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Türkiye, 21 kilometer (13 mi) north-northeast of Bolu. 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: | Oct 14, 2023 17:07 (Istanbul Time) - Oct 14, 2023 14:07 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 21 km NNE of Bolu, Türkiye. Coordinates 40°54'16"N 31°42'37"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.6 Detected by 40 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.087 . |
| 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
This earthquake may have been felt in Türkiye . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Bolu in Bolu, Türkiye. Bolu is located 21 kilometer (13 mi) north-northeast of the epicenter.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Istanbul is located 232 km to the west. Ankara is located 146 km to the south-east. Bursa is located 237 km to the west-southwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 21 km (13 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Bolu Bolu, Türkiye. |
| 41 km (25 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Devrek Zonguldak, Türkiye. |
| 41 km (25 mi) NW from epicenter |
Alaplı Zonguldak, Türkiye. |
| 43 km (27 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Gerede Bolu, Türkiye. |
| 47 km (29 mi) W from epicenter |
Düzce Düzce, Türkiye. |
| 49 km (30 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Ereğli Zonguldak, Türkiye. |
| 54 km (34 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Akçakoca Düzce, Türkiye. |
| 61 km (38 mi) N from epicenter |
Zonguldak Zonguldak, Türkiye. |
| 66 km (41 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Çaycuma Zonguldak, Türkiye. |
| 74 km (46 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Kocaali Sakarya, Türkiye. |
| 80 km (50 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Karasu Mahallesi Sakarya, Türkiye. |
| 82 km (51 mi) W from epicenter |
Hendek Sakarya, Türkiye. |
| 84 km (52 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Beypazarı Ankara, Türkiye. |
| 84 km (52 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Karabük Karabük, Türkiye. |
| 85 km (53 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Nallıhan Ankara, Türkiye. |
| 88 km (55 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Karasu Sakarya, Türkiye. |
| 91 km (57 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Safranbolu Karabük, Türkiye. |
| 93 km (58 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Kızılcahamam Ankara, Türkiye. |
| 95 km (59 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Akyazı Sakarya, Türkiye. |
| 97 km (60 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Bartın Bartın, Türkiye. |
| 100 km (62 mi) E from epicenter |
Çerkeş Çankırı, Türkiye. |
| 103 km (64 mi) W from epicenter |
Ferizli Sakarya, Türkiye. |
| 111 km (69 mi) W from epicenter |
Adapazarı Sakarya, Türkiye. |
| 134 km (83 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Çubuk Ankara, Türkiye. |
| 135 km (84 mi) SE from epicenter |
Batikent Ankara, Türkiye. |
| 146 km (91 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ankara Ankara, Türkiye. |
| 147 km (91 mi) SE from epicenter |
Çankaya Ankara, Türkiye. |
| 151 km (94 mi) W from epicenter |
İzmit Kocaeli, Türkiye. |
| 152 km (94 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Polatlı Ankara, Türkiye. |
| 160 km (99 mi) W from epicenter |
Derince Kocaeli, Türkiye. |
| 161 km (100 mi) W from epicenter |
Gölcük Kocaeli, Türkiye. |
| 161 km (100 mi) SW from epicenter |
Eskişehir Eskişehir, Türkiye. |
| 163 km (101 mi) W from epicenter |
Körfez Kocaeli, Türkiye. |
| 164 km (102 mi) E from epicenter |
Çankırı Çankırı, Türkiye. |
| 180 km (112 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bozüyük Bilecik, Türkiye. |
| 181 km (112 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Kastamonu Kastamonu, Türkiye. |
| 192 km (119 mi) SE from epicenter |
Kırıkkale Kırıkkale, Türkiye. |
| 192 km (119 mi) W from epicenter |
Gebze Kocaeli, Türkiye. |
| 205 km (127 mi) W from epicenter |
Sultanbeyli İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 207 km (129 mi) W from epicenter |
Yalova Yalova, Türkiye. |
| 208 km (129 mi) W from epicenter |
Sancaktepe İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 215 km (134 mi) W from epicenter |
Maltepe İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 217 km (135 mi) W from epicenter |
Umraniye İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 218 km (135 mi) W from epicenter |
Ataşehir İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 221 km (137 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kütahya Kütahya, Türkiye. |
| 227 km (141 mi) W from epicenter |
Üsküdar İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 229 km (142 mi) W from epicenter |
Şişli İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 232 km (144 mi) W from epicenter |
Istanbul İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 233 km (145 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Kulu Konya, Türkiye. |
| 236 km (147 mi) W from epicenter |
Zeytinburnu İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 237 km (147 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Bursa Bursa, Türkiye. |
| 238 km (148 mi) W from epicenter |
Esenler İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 240 km (149 mi) W from epicenter |
Bağcılar İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 240 km (149 mi) W from epicenter |
Sultangazi İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 240 km (149 mi) W from epicenter |
Bahçelievler İstanbul, Türkiye. |
| 259 km (161 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Afyonkarahisar Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye. |
| 263 km (163 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Boyabat Sinop, Türkiye. |
| 276 km (171 mi) E from epicenter |
Çorum Çorum, Türkiye. |
| 286 km (178 mi) SE from epicenter |
Kırşehir Kırşehir, Türkiye. |
| 289 km (180 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Yozgat Yozgat, Türkiye. |
| 293 km (182 mi) SW from epicenter |
Banaz Uşak, Türkiye. |
| 294 km (183 mi) S from epicenter |
Yalvaç Isparta, Türkiye. |
Shaking reported by 4 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within 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:
- Bolu, Bolu, Turkey: 2 people.
- Alaplı, Zonguldak, Turkey: 1 person.
- Yakuplu, İstanbul, Turkey: 1 person.
2 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 3.9 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 63 km (39 mi) west of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. A 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit 18 hrs earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
18 hrs earlier Oct 13, 2023 22:54 (Istanbul Time) | 60 km (37 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.6 |
Oct 14, 2023 17:07 (Istanbul Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
40 mins later Oct 14, 2023 17:47 (Istanbul Time) | 4 km (2.4 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
1 day later Oct 15, 2023 19:57 (Istanbul Time) | 63 km (39 mi) W from Main Shock. |
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.
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 29th, 2023, when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit 239 km (148 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck on November 23rd, 2022.
In total, 16 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.6 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 8 months.
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 4.6. 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 02/12/23 04:58 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000lfk2
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231014_0000150
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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