July 12, 1900 Earthquake: Kars,karakurt,kagizman,digor, Turkey
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Kars,karakurt,kagizman,digor, Turkey on July 12, 1900 at 06:25:00 UTC. It killed 140 people.
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
- July 12, 1900
- Time
- 06:25:00 UTC
- Place
- Kars,karakurt,kagizman,digor, Turkey
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.300° N, 43.100° E
- Country
- Turkey
The toll
- Deaths
- 140
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 1,100
- Houses damaged
- 900
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.
A locally destuctive earthquake ruined dozens of villages in the region between Kars, Karakurt, Kagizman and Digor. Maximum damage was observed in a narrow zone running from Kagizman in the south, through Pasli and Karakilise in the north, within which landslides added to the damage. There were numerous, strong aftershocks. The earthquake killed 140 people, destroying 1100 houses and damaging 900. (reference #1215)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 24, 893, Ardabil, Dvin, Iran, Armenia
- 1444, Nemrut Mtns, Turkey
- December 7, 1988, Leninakan, Spitak, Kirovakan, Armenia
- June 2, 1859, Erzurum, Turkey
- 851, Dvin, Armenia
- January 858, Dvina, Turkey, Armenia
- June 4, 1679, Dvina, Turkey, Armenia
- November 24, 1976, Muradiye, Turkey
- April 28, 1903, Malazgirt, Turkey
- August 19, 1966, Varto, Turkey
- 854, Tovin, Armenia
- October 30, 1983, Erzurum, Kars, Khorasan, Pasinler, Narman, Turkey
- July 2, 1840, Maku, Mt Ararat, Aguri, Aralikh, Iran, Turkey
- May 28, 1903, Varginis,cardahli,mehkerek, Turkey
- May 31, 1946, Ustukran, Turkey
More
Significant earthquakes of 1900The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1900Recent 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 2574.