Shallow M5.3 Earthquake hit near Erbaa in Türkiye on Friday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 13th, 2026. Last updated April 1st, 2026.

Deep in the night of Friday March 13th, 2026, a shallow and significant M5.3 earthquake hit under land 17 kilometer from Erbaa in Türkiye.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Türkiye, 17 kilometer (11 mi) east of Erbaa 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:	Mar 13, 2026 03:35 (Istanbul Time) - Mar 13, 2026 00:35 Universal Time.
Location:	17 km east of Erbaa, Tokat, Türkiye. Coordinates 40°41'36"N 36°45'51"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 31 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.056 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong 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.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Türkiye . Erbaa in Tokat, Türkiye is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 17 kilometer (11 mi) east of Erbaa. Erbaa experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly V. That level implies moderate shaking and very light damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Samsun is located 74 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Tokat is located 46 km to the south and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Sivas is located 107 km to the south and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected 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 8 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 8 people have reported shaking in 5 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:

• Samsun, Samsun, Turkey: 3 people.
• Ordu, Ordu, Turkey: 2 people.
• Erbaa, Tokat, Turkey: 1 person.
• Tirebolu, Giresun, Turkey: 1 person.
• Kayseri, Kayseri, Turkey: 1 person.

20 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 20 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 13 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.6 was detected 5 km (3 mi) south-east of this earthquake.

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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 April 18th, 2024, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 105 km (65 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6 earthquake struck on February 6th, 2023.

In total, 4 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 3 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 01/04/26 02:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000sfyj
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260313_0000005
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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