M5.0 Earthquake 14 km ENE of Kulu, Turkey — May 15, 2025
2025-05-15 12:46:37 UTC (2025-05-15) · approx. 2:46 PM UTC+2 local
Felt by 39 people across nearby locations.
On May 15, 2025 at 12:46 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 14 km ENE of Kulu, Turkey, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 39.1296°, 33.2380°. This earthquake was detected by 111 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 406, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 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 39 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
33.2380°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Kulu, Turkey?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 14 km ENE of Kulu, Turkey on May 15, 2025 at 12:46 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 39.1296°, 33.2380°, which is 14 km ENE of Kulu, Turkey. View all earthquakes in Turkey.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 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 5.0 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000pzcl). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, May 15, 2025). M5.0 Earthquake 14 km ENE of Kulu, Turkey — May 15, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000pzcl/