M4.8 Earthquake 8 km W of Bolu, Turkey — March 16, 2023
2023-03-16 10:55:07 UTC (2023-03-16) · approx. 12:55 PM UTC+2 local
Felt by 9 people across nearby locations.
On March 16, 2023 at 10:55 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 8 km W of Bolu, Turkey, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 40.7432°, 31.5028°. This earthquake was detected by 92 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 358, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 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 9 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
31.5028°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Bolu, Turkey?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 8 km W of Bolu, Turkey on March 16, 2023 at 10:55 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 40.7432°, 31.5028°, which is 8 km W of Bolu, Turkey. View all earthquakes in Turkey.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 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 4.8 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000jkeb). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, March 16, 2023). M4.8 Earthquake 8 km W of Bolu, Turkey — March 16, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000jkeb/