Turkey earthquakes

M5.5 earthquake 10 km NE of Olur, Turkey

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 10 km NE of Olur, Turkey on Tue, Sep 18, 1984, 4:26 PM GMT+3 (13:26 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.5 (Mw, moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Tue, Sep 18, 1984, 4:26 PM GMT+3
UTC: 1984-09-18 13:26:01 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 40.885° N, 42.219° E
Region: Turkey
Strongest shaking: VI, strong shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.5	Mw, moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.5	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.5	Mwc, centroid moment	Global CMT project	Preliminary

Deaths and damage

From NOAA NCEI’s Significant Earthquake Database (record 5047), matched to this event by time and place.

Deaths: 3
Injuries: 38
Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million); Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with its tsunami and other effects
Houses destroyed: 75,000

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA’s full record of this earthquake

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Three people killed, 38 injured and 75,000 homes destroyed or damaged in the Olur-Senkaya area. CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 12S, 24C Centroid Location: Origin Time 13:26: 5.1 0.4 Lat 40.62N 0.05 Lon 42.39E 0.06 Dep 10.0 FIX Half-duration 2.2 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**24 D-CM Mrr=-0.23 0.06 Mtt=-1.09 0.09 Mff=1.32 0.06 Mrt=-1.36 0.22 Mrf=-0.06 0.23 Mtf=-1.24 0.07 Principal Axes: (T) Val=1.97 Plg=15 Azm=242 (N) Val=0.41 Plg=55 Azm=130 (P) Val=-2.38 Plg=31 Azm=341 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.2*10**24 NP1:Strike=17 Dip=57 Slip=-13 NP2:Strike=114 Dip=79 Slip=-146

From the USGS event page for usp00027g4. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VI, strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 23.7% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 2.5 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: OPERATOR_ASSIGNED

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes today Turkey earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00027g4 (also filed as gcmtb091884a, gcmt19840918132601, atlas19840918132601, iscgem544544). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 12:12 AM UTC.