March 18, 1953 Earthquake: Yenice, Onon, Turkey
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Yenice, Onon, Turkey on March 18, 1953 at 19:06:17 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It killed 1,070 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
- March 18, 1953
- Time
- 19:06:17 UTC
- Place
- Yenice, Onon, Turkey
- Magnitude
- 7.3 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.175° N, 27.648° E
- Country
- Turkey
The toll
- Deaths
- 1,070
- Damage
- $3.6 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.
March 18, 1953, 19:06 UTC, 40 N, 27.4 E, magnitude 7.5, 1070 deaths, magnitude 7.5, 1070 deaths. (reference #1138)
March 18, 1953, 19:06:11 UTC, Western Turkey, 40 N, 27.5 E, magnitude 7.25. 1003 killed, including 998 in Yenice, 50 in Gonen, 20 in Can, and 3 in Manyas. Yenice destroyed and major damage at Gonen and Can. Felt throughout the Aegean Islands and southern Greece. Macroseismic area estimated at 200,000 square miles. Damage at $3,570,000. (reference #45)
March 18, 1953, 19:06:17.74 UTC, 40.175 N, 27.648 E, magnitude 7.3 Mw, depth 10. (reference #10476, v 9.1)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 25, 1719, Turkey
- September 10, 1509, Istanbul, Turkey
- May 22, 1766, Turkey
- August 9, 1912, Marmara Sea, Turkey
- February 28, 1855, Tayabas, Bursa, Turkey
- September 2, 1754, Izmit, Turkey
- July 10, 1894, Turkey
- April 29, 1855, Bursa, Turkey
- October 11, 367, Iznik,nicaea, Turkey
- March 7, 1867, Izmir, Mitilini, Turkey, Greece
- August 6, 1384, Lesbos, Greece
- April 11, 1855, Bursa, Turkey
- March 28, 1969, Alasehir, Sarigol, Kiraz, Turkey
- September 21, 1939, Turkey
- 1577, Balikesir, Turkey
More
Significant earthquakes of 1953The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1953Recent 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 4014.