M7.8 earthquake 20 km NNE of Erzincan, Turkey
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck 20 km NNE of Erzincan, Turkey on Wed, Dec 27, 1939, 1:57 AM GMT+2 (23:57 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 7.8 (mw), major
- Local time
- UTC
- 1939-12-26 23:57:23 UTC
- Depth
- 20.0 km (12.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 39.907° N, 39.586° E
- Region
- Turkey
- Strongest shaking
- VIII, severe shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VIII, severe shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 32.5% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 4.0 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.40
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTurkey earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem902291. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:11 PM UTC.