On Thursday Evening a Shallow M5.6 Earthquake struck near Turhal in Türkiye.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 18th, 2024. Last updated May 3rd, 2024.

Under land 44 kilometer from Turhal in Türkiye, a shallow and significant MAG-5.6 earthquake occurred in the evening of Thursday April 18th, 2024. Around 11 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Türkiye, 44 kilometer (27 mi) south of Turhal in Tokat. 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:	Apr 18, 2024 18:11 (Istanbul Time) - Apr 18, 2024 15:11 Universal Time.
Location:	44 km south of Turhal, Tokat, Türkiye. Coordinates 40°0'15"N 35°58'35"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 65 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.038 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 67% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 11 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 11 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 2,730 people were exposed to level VII. At this level, very strong shaking and likely moderate damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 9 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Türkiye .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Türkiye . Zile in Tokat, Türkiye is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 34 kilometer (21 mi) south-southeast of Zile. The intensity of shaking and damage in Zile is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Ankara is located 266 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Kayseri is located 148 km to the south-southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Çankaya is located 266 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 11 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 11 people have reported shaking in 10 places in 2 countries (Turkey, Ukraine).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Sulusaray, Tokat, Turkey: 2 people.
• Amasya, Amasya, Turkey: 1 person.
• Kayseri, Kayseri, Turkey: 1 person.
• Talas, Kayseri, Turkey: 1 person.
• Kırşehir, Kırşehir, Turkey: 1 person.
• Avanos, Nevşehir, Turkey: 1 person.
• Ünye, Ordu, Turkey: 1 person.
• Tokat, Tokat, Turkey: 1 person.
• Çorum, Çorum, Turkey: 1 person.
• Trebukhiv, Kyyivsʿka, Ukraine: 1 person.

27 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 27 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 7 km (4 mi) east-northeast of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 4 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.2

This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. A 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 17 hrs 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.

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.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since February 6th, 2023, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 221 km (137 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on February 6th, 2023.

In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 2 years.

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 03/05/24 16:08 (). 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 us7000mcxc
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240418_0000199
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: