1939 Erzincan earthquake
Earthquake in Turkey (1939) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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An earthquake struck Turkey's eastern Erzincan Province at 1:57:23 a.m. on 27 December 1939 local time with a moment magnitude of 7.8 Mw and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XII (Extreme). It is the joint second most-powerful earthquake recorded in Turkey, tied with the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake. Only the 1668 North Anatolia earthquake was more powerful.[4] This was one of the largest in a sequence of violent shocks to affect Turkey along the North Anatolian Fault between 1939 and 1999. Surface rupturing, with a horizontal displacement of up to 3.7 meters, occurred in a 360 km long segment of the North Anatolian Fault Zone.[5][6] The earthquake was the most severe natural loss of life in Turkey in the 20th century, with 32,968 dead,[6] and some 100,000 injured.[7]
UTC time | 1939-12-26 23:57:23 |
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ISC event | 902291 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | 27 December 1939 (1939-12-27) |
Local time | 1:57:23 a.m. |
Magnitude | 7.8 Mw [1] |
Depth | 20 km (12 mi) [1] |
Epicenter | 39.77°N 39.58°E / 39.77; 39.58 [1] |
Fault | North Anatolian Fault |
Type | Strike-slip |
Areas affected | Erzincan Province Turkey |
Total damage | 116,720 buildings were seriously damaged |
Max. intensity | MMI XII (Extreme) [2] |
Tsunami | 0.53 m (1 ft 9 in) [3] |
Aftershocks | Yes |
Casualties | 32,700–32,968 dead [3] 100,000 injured [3] |