A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck under land 35 kilometer from Şanlıurfa in Türkiye in the morning of Thursday September 24th, 2026. Syria and Iraq are also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Türkiye, 35 kilometer (22 mi) north of Şanlıurfa. 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: | Sep 24, 2026 10:40 (Istanbul Time) - Sep 24, 2026 07:40 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 35 km north of Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. Coordinates 37°28'25"N 38°51'40"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| 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
3 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Türkiye , Syria and Iraq .
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Hilvan in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. Hilvan is located 15 kilometer (9 mi) southwest of the epicenter.
Major cities near this earthquake: Şanlıurfa is located 35 km to the south. Aleppo is located 207 km to the southwest. Gaziantep is located 139 km to the west.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 15 km (9 mi) NE from epicenter |
Hilvan Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 32 km (20 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bozova Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 35 km (22 mi) S from epicenter |
Şanlıurfa Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 41 km (25 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kâhta Adıyaman, Türkiye. |
| 51 km (32 mi) NE from epicenter |
Siverek Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 61 km (38 mi) NW from epicenter |
Adıyaman Adıyaman, Türkiye. |
| 67 km (42 mi) SW from epicenter |
Suruç Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 79 km (49 mi) SW from epicenter |
‘Ayn al ‘Arab Aleppo, Syria. |
| 84 km (52 mi) E from epicenter |
Viranşehir Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 85 km (53 mi) S from epicenter |
Akçakale Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 90 km (56 mi) NE from epicenter |
Çermik Diyarbakır, Türkiye. |
| 91 km (57 mi) W from epicenter |
Besni Adıyaman, Türkiye. |
| 93 km (58 mi) SW from epicenter |
Birecik Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 105 km (65 mi) SW from epicenter |
Jarābulus Aleppo, Syria. |
| 108 km (67 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nizip Gaziantep, Türkiye. |
| 109 km (68 mi) NW from epicenter |
Malatya Malatya, Türkiye. |
| 113 km (70 mi) W from epicenter |
Gölbaşı Adıyaman, Türkiye. |
| 118 km (73 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ergani Diyarbakır, Türkiye. |
| 122 km (76 mi) N from epicenter |
Baskil Elazığ, Türkiye. |
| 126 km (78 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ceylanpınar Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. |
| 129 km (80 mi) NE from epicenter |
Diyarbakır Diyarbakır, Türkiye. |
| 132 km (82 mi) SW from epicenter |
Manbij Aleppo, Syria. |
| 137 km (85 mi) N from epicenter |
Elazığ Elazığ, Türkiye. |
| 138 km (86 mi) W from epicenter |
Pazarcık Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. |
| 139 km (86 mi) W from epicenter |
Gaziantep Gaziantep, Türkiye. |
| 155 km (96 mi) E from epicenter |
Kızıltepe Mardin, Türkiye. |
| 164 km (102 mi) NE from epicenter |
Kovancılar Elazığ, Türkiye. |
| 164 km (102 mi) E from epicenter |
Bismil Diyarbakır, Türkiye. |
| 167 km (104 mi) NW from epicenter |
Elbistan Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. |
| 167 km (104 mi) E from epicenter |
Mardin Mardin, Türkiye. |
| 170 km (106 mi) S from epicenter |
Ar Raqqah Ar-Raqqah, Syria. |
| 171 km (106 mi) SW from epicenter |
Al Bāb Aleppo, Syria. |
| 171 km (106 mi) W from epicenter |
Kahramanmaraş Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. |
| 172 km (107 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tādif Aleppo, Syria. |
| 173 km (107 mi) E from epicenter |
Yeşilli Mardin, Türkiye. |
| 176 km (109 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kilis Kilis, Türkiye. |
| 179 km (111 mi) SW from epicenter |
Dayr Ḩāfir Aleppo, Syria. |
| 184 km (114 mi) S from epicenter |
Ath Thawrah Ar-Raqqah, Syria. |
| 189 km (117 mi) SW from epicenter |
I‘zāz Aleppo, Syria. |
| 190 km (118 mi) N from epicenter |
Tunceli Tunceli, Türkiye. |
| 191 km (119 mi) NW from epicenter |
Afşin Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. |
| 199 km (124 mi) SE from epicenter |
Al Ḩasakah Al-Hasakah, Syria. |
| 205 km (127 mi) E from epicenter |
Batman Batman, Türkiye. |
| 207 km (129 mi) SW from epicenter |
Aleppo Aleppo, Syria. |
| 212 km (132 mi) NE from epicenter |
Bingöl Bingöl, Türkiye. |
| 213 km (132 mi) E from epicenter |
Nusaybin Mardin, Türkiye. |
| 235 km (146 mi) W from epicenter |
Osmaniye Osmaniye, Türkiye. |
| 258 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter |
İskenderun Hatay, Türkiye. |
| 258 km (160 mi) N from epicenter |
Erzincan Erzincan, Türkiye. |
| 262 km (163 mi) SW from epicenter |
Idlib Idlib, Syria. |
| 264 km (164 mi) SE from epicenter |
Deir ez-Zor Deir ez-Zor, Syria. |
| 269 km (167 mi) NE from epicenter |
Muş Muş, Türkiye. |
| 274 km (170 mi) W from epicenter |
Ceyhan Adana, Türkiye. |
| 276 km (171 mi) E from epicenter |
Siirt Siirt, Türkiye. |
| 279 km (173 mi) SW from epicenter |
Antakya Hatay, Türkiye. |
| 294 km (183 mi) E from epicenter |
Cizre Şırnak, Türkiye. |
| 297 km (185 mi) SE from epicenter |
Sinjār Nineveh, Iraq. |
| 299 km (186 mi) NW from epicenter |
Sivas Sivas, Türkiye. |
| 299 km (186 mi) N from epicenter |
Kelkit Gümüşhane, Türkiye. |
Shaking reported by 8 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 8 people have reported shaking in 7 places in 2 countries (Turkey, Syria).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey: 2 people.
- ar-Raqqah, ar-Raqqah, Syria: 1 person.
- Halfeti, Şanliurfa, Turkey: 1 person.
- Aleppo, H̨alab, Syria: 1 person.
- Mardin, Mardin, Turkey: 1 person.
- Adana, Adana, Turkey: 1 person.
- Ankara, Ankara, Turkey: 1 person.
2 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 2.6 magnitude earthquake hit 4 hrs later 91 km (57 mi) north of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.3
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
2 days earlier Sep 22, 2026 14:46 (Istanbul Time) | 86 km (53 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Sep 24, 2026 10:40 (Istanbul Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
19 mins later Sep 24, 2026 10:59 (Istanbul Time) | 4 km (2.2 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
4 hrs later Sep 24, 2026 14:39 (Istanbul Time) | 91 km (57 mi) N 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.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
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 May 20th, 2026, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 87 km (54 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on February 6th, 2023.
In total, 35 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 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 5.3. 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 24/09/26 21:28 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000tx9u
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260924_0000086
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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