February 1, 1944 Earthquake: Turkey

Name: February 1, 1944 Earthquake: Turkey
Start: 1944-02-01
Location: Turkey

February 1, 1944 · M7.6 · 2,381 deaths

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Turkey on February 1, 1944 at 03:22:40 UTC, 30 km below the surface. It killed 2,381 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: February 1, 1944
Time: 03:22:40 UTC
Place: Turkey
Magnitude: 7.6 (Mw)
Focal depth: 30 km (19 mi)
Intensity: 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 40.660° N, 32.998° E
Country: Turkey

The toll

Deaths: 2,381
Damage: Severe (about $5 to $25 million)

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 #45 lists epicenter 41 N, 33 E, 2381 deaths, severe damage.

Reference #1138 lists epicenter 41.4 N, 32.7 E, depth 33 km, magnitude 7.4, MMI X, 2790 deaths.

Reference #1250 lists 3959 deaths

Reference #10476 (v9.1) 1944 February 01 03:22:40.83 UTC, 40.66 N 32.998 E, magnitude 7.6 Mw, depth 30

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1944 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1944 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 3774.