May 1, 1935 Earthquake: Kigi, Turkey
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Kigi, Turkey on May 1, 1935 at 10:24:44 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It killed 540 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
- May 1, 1935
- Time
- 10:24:44 UTC
- Place
- Kigi, Turkey
- Magnitude
- 6.1 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.566° N, 43.415° E
- Country
- Turkey
The toll
- Deaths
- 540
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.
Reference #1138 lists 540 deaths
Reference #10476 (v 9.1) lists 1935 May 01 10:24:44.47 UTC, 40.566 N 43.415 E, magnitude 6.05 Mw, depth 10
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 24, 893, Ardabil, Dvin, Iran, Armenia
- 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
- 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
- September 10, 1941, Van, Ercis, Turkey
- October 22, 1926, Turkey, Armenia
- December 31, 1899, Turkey
More
Significant earthquakes of 1935The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1935Recent 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 3549.