5.0 Earthquake in Turkey

On Nov. 29, at 00:28 UTC, an unconfirmed magnitude (M) 5.0 earthquake erupted in Turkey. The epicenter was 10 km deep. According to GEOFON Program, the coordinates of the epicenter were 37.87ºE 38.90ºN.

At the same time, Central Turkey experienced a 5.0M quake that was 22 km deep and five minutes later, a 3.0M aftershock, five km deep continued to rock the cities nearby.

Nearby cities included:

Kulucak, Turkey – 7 km
Hekimhan, Turkey – 16 km
Darende, Turkey – 42 km
Gurun, Turkey – 45 km
Ankara, Turkey – 437 km

The initial earthquake has been confirmed, by GEOFON, as a magnitude 5.0. One witness reported to EMSC that to them the shaking was extreme.

There are four significant tectonic plates in the Middle East. They are Arabia, Eurasia, India, and Africa. In the area is also, a tectonic block, named Anatolia. These moving plates are going through a process of subduction, compressional mountain building, transform faulting, and crustal extension. These plates are moving at a rate no slower than 40 mm a year.

There is a continental thickening on the northern and western edges of India. This type of activity is responsible for some of the highest mountains in the world.

Inside the Planet will provide updates as they become available.

By Jeanette Smith

Sources:

GEOFON
ESMC
Image Courtesy of Rod Waddington’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License