The Erzincan earthquake of 1939 was a catastrophic event that resulted in the loss of 33,000 lives. It struck on December 26, 1939, and was caused by the movement of the North Anatolian Fault Zone.
The Earthquake
The earthquake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and caused extensive damage to the Erzincan Plain and the Kelkit River Valley. It also created a 360-km-long surface rupture and over 300 km of “surface faulting.” In addition, a tsunami was triggered at Fatsa on Turkey’s Black Sea coast, which was observed by various tide stations from Russia to Ukraine.
Impact
The Erzincan earthquake caused extreme damage to the region and resulted in the loss of many lives. The USGS website notes that the earthquake resulted in “as much as 3.7 m of horizontal displacement and 2.0 m of vertical offset.” The earthquake was so severe that its traces are still visible today.
Turkey and earthquakes
Turkey sits on the Anatolian tectonic plate, which borders two major faults – the North Anatolian fault that cuts across the country from west to east, and the East Anatolian fault in the southeast. This location makes Turkey vulnerable to earthquakes. Here are some of the major earthquakes that have struck Turkey in recent years:
- 2020: An earthquake measuring 7 hit the Greek island of Samos in the Aegean Sea in October 2020, killing at least 24 people in Turkey and more in Greece.
- 2020: An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 killed at least 22 people in eastern Turkey in January that year. Tremors were felt in neighbouring countries such as Syria, Georgia, and Armenia.
- 2011: An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 with an epicentre in Van province in eastern Turkey close to the border with Iran killed at least 138 people in October 2011.
- 2010: A magnitude 6 earthquake killed 51 people in eastern Turkey in March 2010, followed by several large aftershocks.
- 1999: The Izmit earthquake in western Turkey measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale killed more than 17,000 people in August 1999.
