March 28, 1970 Earthquake: Gediz, Turkey

March 28, 1970, 21:02:23.4 UTC, 39.2 N, 29.5 E, depth 20 km, magnitude 7.1 Ms. 1,086 killed, 1,174 injured, 8,229 buildings destroyed, 5,586 buildings damaged, at Gediz and surrounding area by this earthquake and major aftershocks. Felt throughout Anatolia, at Istanbul and on Chios and Lesbos Islands. (reference #45)

March 28, 1970, 21:02 UTC, 39.2 N, 29.5 E, depth 20 km, magnitude 6.0 mb, 7.4 Ms. 64-72. One of the most destructive earthquakes of 1970 devastated the region of Gediz in Western Anatolia; 1,086 people were killed, 1,174 injured, 3,500 houses destroyed, 18,300 more or less severely damaged, and 80,000 people were rendered homeless; damage was evaluated at £9 million. Several villages, in particular Akcaalan, Karamanca, Kayakoy, Derekoy, Cazakoy, were completely destroyed; at Gediz, a town of 8,500 inhabitants, out of 3,020 houses, 24 per cent were completely destroyed and 29 per cent severely damaged; 285 persons were killed in the town and 209 injured. Several mosques and ancient monuments were destroyed. It is worth noting that none of the 35 reinforced-concrete buildings in the town were damaged beyond repair. As at Akcaalan and in other villages, damage was aggravated by the fires which started after the main shock and during the aftershocks, due to electrical short-circuits or to the overturning of oil lamps or cooking stoves. The heaviest damage occurred in the two valleys with neogene sedimentary fill running north-west and north of Gediz. The macroseismic epicentre (according to the observatory at Kandilli) was situated at 39 deg 07 min N., 29 deg 23 min E., that is to say at about 10 km north-west of Gediz. The shock was felt at Istanbul, Ankara, Erzincan and in several islands of the Aegean Sea (Lesvos, Samothraki, Samos, Thasos and Skopelos) as well as in northern Greece; according to the bulletin of the Athens Observatory the macroseismic area was 1,130,000 km2. The principal shock, which was the first, was followed by more than 1,000 aftershocks of which 10 were of magnitude between 5.0 and 5.9. (reference #1039)

March 28, 1970, 23:02 Gediz, magnitude 7.2, intensity IX, 1086 killed, 19,291 buildings damaged. (reference #1251)

March 28, 1970, 1086 killed, 2,776 injured, $55.6 million damage. (reference #1250)

March 28, 1970, 21:02 UTC, 39.2 N, 29.5 E, magnitude 7.3, 1,100 killed, Gediz. (reference #1138)

March 28, 1970, 21:02:26.71 UTC, 39.098 N, 29.57 E, magnitude 7.23 Mw, depth 25. (reference #10476, v 9.1)