On Wednesday Morning a Shallow M5.4 Earthquake struck near Malatya in Türkiye.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 20th, 2026.

Under land 29 kilometer from Malatya in Türkiye, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred in the morning of Wednesday May 20th, 2026. Roughly 14 million people may have felt this earthquake. Another country near the epicenter is Syria.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Türkiye, 29 kilometer (18 mi) south-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:	May 20, 2026 09:00 (Istanbul Time) - May 20, 2026 06:00 Universal Time.
Location:	29 km SE of Malatya, Türkiye. Coordinates 38°12'57"N 38°36'22"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 .
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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 14 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 14 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 30 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 10 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Türkiye , around 12 million people, with impact levels up to VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage). In Syria , around 2.1 million people.

Nearby towns and cities

2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Türkiye and Syria .

Malatya in Malatya, Türkiye is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 29 kilometer (18 mi) south-east of Malatya. Malatya experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Major cities near this earthquake: Malatya is located 29 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Gaziantep is located 168 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Aleppo is located 258 km to the southwest (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 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 3 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 2 places in 2 countries (Turkey, Lebanon).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Bayrūt, Jabal Lubnan, Lebanon: 2 people.
• Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey: 1 person.

7 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 7 smaller aftershocks. Just 1 hr after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.6 was detected 4 km (2.7 mi) north of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 16 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 2.5

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 happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 16th, 2024, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 20 km (13 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on February 6th, 2023.

In total, 23 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 5 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

Sources

Last updated 20/05/26 23:28 (). 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 us6000syx6
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260520_0000076
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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