February 2, 1039 Earthquake: Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey on February 2, 1039. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- February 2, 1039
- Place
- Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 38.400° N, 27.300° E
- Country
- Turkey
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- Houses damaged
- Some (about 51 to 100)
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.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1039, February (January) 2. Zone of the Sea of Marmara. Smyrna became a terrible spectacle, because the most beautiful buildings collapsed and many people killed (reference #2130).
1039, January. Constantinople (Istanbul). Duck (p. 133, ref #4100) quotes Cedrinos (ii, P. 532, ref #4101) for this seismic seawave, but we can find no mention in that author. (references #15 and #26)
1038, November 2. Contantinople, shocks lasting until the following January. (reference #521)
February 2, 1039, 38.4 N, 27.3 E, magnitude 6.8. (reference #330)
1038 or 1039. 41.04 N, 28.98 E, Instanbul, earthquake intensity VI. (reference #1071)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 10, 1668, Turkey
- July 10, 1688, Izmir, Turkey
- October 15, 1883, Ayvalik, Izmir, Cesme, Turkey
- April 3, 1881, Cesme, Khios, Turkey, Greece
- October 1491, Kos, Greece
- February 23, 1653, Izmir,alasehir,denizli,aydin, Turkey
- 688, Izmir, Turkey
- September 20, 1899, Sultanhisar,atca,nazilli,kuyucak,denizli, Turkey
- March 18, 1953, Yenice, Onon, Turkey
- March 7, 1867, Izmir, Mitilini, Turkey, Greece
- August 6, 1384, Lesbos, Greece
- April 23, 1933, Dodecanese Islands, Greece
- March 31, 1928, Tepekoy, Torbali, Turkey
- October 30, 2020, Izmir, Samos, Turkey, Greece
- March 28, 1969, Alasehir, Sarigol, Kiraz, Turkey
More
Significant earthquakes of 1039The 1000sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 8237.