Shallow M6.0 Earthquake struck on Wednesday Morning near Malatya in Türkiye.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 16th, 2024. Last updated December 15th, 2024.

Under land 43 kilometer from Malatya in Türkiye, a shallow and strong M6.0 earthquake occurred in the morning of Wednesday October 16th, 2024. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage and have a significant risk at casualties. Another country near the epicenter is Syria.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Türkiye, 43 kilometer (27 mi) east of Malatya. 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 16, 2024 10:46 (Istanbul Time) - Oct 16, 2024 07:46 Universal Time.
Location:	43 km east of Malatya, Türkiye. Coordinates 38°18'41"N 38°48'21"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.0 Detected by 55 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.042 .
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.

Significant impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

At least 126 people injured, 22 buildings destroyed and 517 damaged at Elazig; 55 people injured, 1 building destroyed and some adobe houses damaged at Malatya; 37 people injured and 5 homes damaged at Sanliurfa; 19 people injured at Diyarbakir, 18 at Adiyaman, 6 at Erzincan and 3 at Kahramanmaras. Rockfalls occurred in the Kale-Puturge area.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 47% likelyhood of between 1 and 10 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 100.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 43% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 91% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 1 and 1,000 million USD.

Roughly 14 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 14 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VIII, which corresponds with severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage. Roughly 4,120 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 9 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Türkiye , around 12 million people, with impact levels up to VIII (severe shaking, likely moderate to heavy damage). In Syria , around 2 million people.

Nearby towns and cities

3 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Türkiye and Syria . Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in Iraq.

Baskil in Elazığ, Türkiye is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 29 kilometer (18 mi) south of Baskil. The intensity of shaking and damage in Baskil is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Malatya is located 43 km to the west and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Aleppo is located 276 km to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Gaziantep is located 187 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

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 maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VIII. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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 372 people in 4 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 372 people have reported shaking in 24 places in 4 countries (Cyprus, Turkey, Georgia, Iraq).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Malatya, Malatya, Turkey: 200 people.
• Elazığ, Elazığ, Turkey: 41 people.
• Sincik, Adıyaman, Turkey: 18 people.
• Baskil, Elazığ, Turkey: 17 people.
• Sivrice, Elazığ, Turkey: 12 people.
• Yeşilyurt, Malatya, Turkey: 11 people.
• Çelikhan, Adıyaman, Turkey: 9 people.
• Afşin, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey: 9 people.
• Yazıhan, Malatya, Turkey: 8 people.
• Akçadağ, Malatya, Turkey: 8 people.

21 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 21 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 2.7 km (1.7 mi) north-northwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 22 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3.3

In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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 203 km (126 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on February 6th, 2023.

In total, 6 earthquakes with a magnitude of 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 15/12/24 06:58 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000nyzk
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241016_0000077
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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