M5.6 Earthquake 11 km W of Sulusaray, Turkey — April 18, 2024
2024-04-18 15:11:25 UTC (2024-04-18) · approx. 5:11 PM UTC+2 local
Felt by 11 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.9 (very strong).
On April 18, 2024 at 15:11 UTC, a magnitude 5.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 11 km W of Sulusaray, Turkey, at a depth of 16.0 km and coordinates 39.9894°, 35.9451°. The earthquake was reported felt by 11 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 6.9 (very strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 73 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 490, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Sulusaray (population 4,037).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 4 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 4.4 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
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
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 11 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 | 7,935,372 |
| MMI 4 | light | 2,598,833 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 211,410 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 34,668 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 3,722 |
Earthquake Details
35.9451°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.6 earthquake near Sulusaray, Turkey?
The magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck 11 km W of Sulusaray, Turkey on April 18, 2024 at 15:11 UTC had a depth of 16.0 km. It was felt by 11 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 6.9 (very strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 39.9894°, 35.9451°, which is 11 km W of Sulusaray, Turkey. The nearest populated place is Sulusaray (population 4,037). View all earthquakes in Turkey.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.6 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 5.6 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000mcxc). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, April 18, 2024). M5.6 Earthquake 11 km W of Sulusaray, Turkey — April 18, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000mcxc/