M5.5 Earthquake 9 km WNW of Uzunba?, Turkey — February 20, 2023
2023-02-20 17:07:35 UTC (2023-02-20) · approx. 7:07 PM UTC+2 local
Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.1 (very strong).
On February 20, 2023 at 17:07 UTC, a magnitude 5.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 9 km WNW of Uzunba?, Turkey, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 36.1590°, 35.9351°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 35 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 465, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Samandag (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.8 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Turkey, a region characterized by the North Anatolian Fault, a 1,500 km transform boundary driven by the westward extrusion of the Anatolian microplate. The nearest mapped fault system is the North Anatolian Fault. View all earthquakes in Turkey.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Nearest Populated Places
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
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 | 16,095,243 |
| MMI 4 | light | 3,131,745 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 392,272 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 154,134 |
Earthquake Details
35.9351°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.5 earthquake near Uzunba?, Turkey?
The magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck 9 km WNW of Uzunba?, Turkey on February 20, 2023 at 17:07 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 36.1590°, 35.9351°, which is 9 km WNW of Uzunba?, Turkey. The nearest populated place is Samandag (population 0). View all earthquakes in Turkey.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.5 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Has Turkey had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Turkey was the M7.8 Kahramanmaraş earthquake of February 6, 2023. Today's magnitude 5.5 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000jqjc). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, February 20, 2023). M5.5 Earthquake 9 km WNW of Uzunba?, Turkey — February 20, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000jqjc/