M7.8 Earthquake near Pazarcik earthquake, Kahramanmaras earthquake sequence — February 6, 2023
2023-02-06 01:17:34 UTC (2023-02-06) · approx. 3:17 AM UTC+2 local
Felt by 3,182 people across a wide area. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 9.5 (violent).
On February 6, 2023 at 01:17 UTC, a magnitude 7.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck near Pazarcik earthquake, Kahramanmaras earthquake sequence, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 37.2256°, 37.0143°. The earthquake was reported felt by 3,182 peopleacross a wide area, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 9.5 (violent). The USGS PAGER system issued a red alert level for this event, indicating widespread severe impact likely. This earthquake was detected by 266 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 2910, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is Asagi Karafakili (population 1,138).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 7.6 megatons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 145 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 9.5 (violent), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Severe shaking causing considerable damage. Buildings may shift off foundations. Walls crack and may partially collapse. Heavy furniture overturned.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 3,182 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 10,851,891 |
| MMI 4 | light | 239,201,537 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 22,835,195 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 13,482,204 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 6,353,548 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 1,927,782 |
| MMI 9 | violent | 746,078 |
Earthquake Details
37.0143°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 7.8 earthquake near Pazarcik earthquake, Kahramanmaras earthquake sequence?
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck near Pazarcik earthquake, Kahramanmaras earthquake sequence on February 6, 2023 at 01:17 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 3,182 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 9.5 (violent). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 37.2256°, 37.0143°, which is near Pazarcik earthquake, Kahramanmaras earthquake sequence. The nearest populated place is Asagi Karafakili (population 1,138).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 7.8 earthquakes can continue for months to years and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000jllz). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, February 6, 2023). M7.8 Earthquake near Pazarcik earthquake, Kahramanmaras earthquake sequence — February 6, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000jllz/