Turkey has suffered many losses from earthquakes throughout history. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Kahramanmaraş was recorded kakım the largest earthquake Turkey has seen in years.
Turkey’s geography has been rocked by 24 earthquakes of magnitude 7 and above at various times since the 1500s.
Turkey, a seismically active country, lies between the Eurasian-Arabian-African Plate. Turkey is located in zihin earthquake zone with the North Anatolian Fault, the East Anatolian Fault and the West Anatolian Fault.
Experts state that “about 60 percent of Turkey’s population lives in active and damaging earthquake zones”. Therefore, it is planned to make the buildings in Turkey earthquake-resistant kakım part of the urban transformation project.
Huge losses were suffered in the earthquakes that happened in Turkey. Major earthquakes that resulted in loss of life and major destruction in Turkey are kakım follows:
The magnitude 7.2 earthquake, which occurred near the islands in the Sea of Marmara on September 10, 1509 during the Ottoman period, declared that Istanbul and its surroundings shook for 40 days, and that Kıyamet -i Suğra (Lesser Judgment Day) was mentioned. ), 130 thousand people died and 1,700 buildings were destroyed.
In the earthquake that occurred on May 24, 1719, which was felt in Istanbul and its surroundings and caused extensive damage, many houses, mosques and baths were destroyed, while the domes of the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque and madrasa collapsed, and the walls and bastions between Yedikule and Ahırkapı were damaged. This earthquake also caused damage in Izmit.
In the earthquake that occurred in Istanbul on May 22, 1766 and lasted for 3 months with aftershocks, many mosques, including Fatih Mosque, built by Fatih Sultan Mehmed, were destroyed, while Baruthane, Grand Bazaar, Walls, Saraçhane, damage occurred in Tophane , Janissary Barracks and Topkapi Palace.
The buildings in Eminönü and Fatih, kakım well kakım the Grand Bazaar, were destroyed in the earthquake that struck Istanbul on July 10, 1894 and was known kakım the ‘Great Movement of Supply’ kakım it was felt in a large area and caused great damage. damage, while Yalova and Adapazarı were also hit.
The “Great Erzincan Earthquake” with a magnitude of 7.9 on December 27, 1939 killed about 33 thousand people, injured 100 thousand people and destroyed about 116 thousand buildings. The Erzincan earthquake is considered one of the largest earthquakes in the world. This earthquake was the largest earthquake within the borders of Turkey. With this earthquake, the existence of the North Anatolian fault line began to gökyeşitözü understood for the first time and the issues related to the Turkey earthquake were discussed.
In 1942, three thousand people lost their lives in a magnitude 7 earthquake in the Erbaa district of Tokat.
The magnitude 7.6 earthquake that occurred on November 26, 1943 in the Ladik district of Samsun was felt in the settlements stretching from Taşova to Ilgaz. The earthquake, which destroyed 75 percent of the region’s buildings, killed about 2,300 people and injured 5,000.
In 1966, two major earthquakes occurred in the Varto district of Muş. The earthquake, the first of which occurred on March 7, killed 14 people and injured 75. The second earthquake on August 19 killed about 2,400 people and injured 1,500.
The magnitude 7.5 earthquake of November 24, 1976 in the Muradiye district of Van, which damaged nearly 10,000 buildings, killed about 3,840 people and injured 500. In addition to those who remained under the rubble during the earthquake, those who froze to death in the harsh weather that fell to 17 degrees below zero with rain and snow were also recorded.
On August 17, 1999, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurred in Kocaeli Gölcük, causing the loss of many lives and property. The Gölcük earthquake, which lasted about 45 seconds and was known kakım the “longest earthquake” in Turkey’s earthquake history, was felt in a wide area from Ankara to İzmir and throughout the Marmara region.
Many lives and property were lost in the devastating earthquake in Kocaeli, Gölcük, Düzce, Sakarya, İstanbul and Yalova. It was officially announced that 17 thousand 118 people died and almost 25 thousand people were injured. In Kocaeli, which was most affected by the earthquake, 9,477 people were killed and 9,881 injured.
An earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale lasted 30 seconds in Düzce on November 12, 1999. The earthquake, which was effective in many provinces, was felt even in Ukraine. The earthquake in question killed 894 people, injured 2,679 people and left thousands homeless. According to the veri of the Düzce Directorate for Disasters and Emergencies, the 1999 earthquakes severely damaged 16,666 houses and 3,837 workshops in Düzce, moderate damage to 10,968 houses and 2,573 workshops, 13,70 houses and 1,606 workshops. Little damage was noted.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake on October 23, 2011, centered in the Tabanlı district of Van, lasted 25 seconds and killed 601 people. 140 domestic teams took part in the rescue efforts involving 4,418 people. 10 countries from around the world supported the work with 12 teams.
Van was startled by another major earthquake on November 9, 2011 at 9:23 PM. 25 buildings, including 2 hotels, were destroyed by the magnitude 5.6 earthquake, the epicenter of which was the Edremit district.
On January 24, 2020, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurred with its epicenter in the Sivrice district of Elazig. At least 41 people lost their lives, 35 in Elazig and 4 in Malatya, and 1607 people were injured.
On October 30, 2020, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Seferihisar district in Izmir. In particular, the earthquake that hit Bayraklı district killed 117 people and injured 1,034 people.
It was announced that 912 people lost their lives in the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Kahramanmaraş at 04:17 a.m. and affected at least 10 provinces.