M4.9 Earthquake 6 km SSE of Büyükçat, Turkey — February 23, 2023
2023-02-23 15:53:47 UTC (2023-02-23) · approx. 5:53 PM UTC+2 local
Felt by 6 people across nearby locations.
On February 23, 2023 at 15:53 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 6 km SSE of Büyükçat, Turkey, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 36.0589°, 36.0950°. This earthquake was detected by 194 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 372, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 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
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 6 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
Earthquake Details
36.0950°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.9 earthquake near Büyükçat, Turkey?
The magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck 6 km SSE of Büyükçat, Turkey on February 23, 2023 at 15:53 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 36.0589°, 36.0950°, which is 6 km SSE of Büyükçat, Turkey. View all earthquakes in Turkey.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.9 earthquakes can continue for several days 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 4.9 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000jr1t). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, February 23, 2023). M4.9 Earthquake 6 km SSE of Büyükçat, Turkey — February 23, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000jr1t/