Earthquakes in Turkey

Turkey experiences so many earthquakes because it occupies one of the world's most complex tectonic collision zones. The Anatolian microplate is squeezed between the Eurasian plate to the north and the Arabian plate pushing up from the south, with the African plate also exerting pressure from the southwest.

The North Anatolian Fault (NAF) is the most dangerous fault system in the country, running roughly 1,500 kilometers from eastern Turkey westward toward the Aegean Sea. It is a right-lateral strike-slip fault that behaves similarly to California's San Andreas Fault. Major earthquakes on the NAF have progressed westward throughout the 20th century — from the 1939 Erzincan earthquake to the 1999 İzmit disaster — a pattern that has led seismologists to warn of a future major earthquake near Istanbul.

The East Anatolian Fault (EAF) runs from eastern Turkey toward the Mediterranean and is a left-lateral strike-slip fault. The February 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence — two M7.7+ events within hours of each other — ruptured along the EAF and caused catastrophic damage across ten provinces, with over 56,000 fatalities. Scientists had warned for years that the EAF was overdue for a major earthquake following centuries of stress accumulation.

Western Turkey and the Aegean region experience additional seismicity due to extensional tectonics. As the Anatolian plate moves westward, the western portion stretches and thins, creating a series of normal faults. Cities like İzmir, Denizli, and the Aegean coastline sit above these active fault systems.

Turkey ranks among the top five most seismically active countries globally. Historical records stretching back to ancient Greek and Roman times document devastating earthquakes across Anatolia. The country has experienced more than 80 destructive earthquakes in the 20th century alone, underlining the ongoing and persistent seismic hazard faced by its 85 million residents.

Modern Turkey has made significant investments in earthquake preparedness following the 1999 disasters. New building codes require seismic-resistant construction, and the national early-warning network operated by AFAD monitors thousands of seismic stations across the country. Despite these improvements, the 2023 Kahramanmaraş sequence revealed that enforcement of building standards and preparedness in smaller cities remains inadequate.