557 Earthquake: Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey

Name: 557 Earthquake: Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey
Location: Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey

557 · M7

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey in 557. It caused a tsunami.

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: 557
Place: Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey
Magnitude: 7 (Ms)
Intensity: 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 40.900° N, 27.600° E
Country: Turkey

The toll

The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

557. Seismic period in Costantinople. 40o54'N, 27o36'E. Sea advanced as far as 3 miles affecting some parts of the Thrace coasts (Glyka, ref#10487; Guidoboni, ref #10479). Validity 3. (reference #4139)

557, October 14. Marmara Sea, 40o54'N, 27o36'E. intensity IX, magnitude 7.0. Validity 1. Extensive inundation. (reference #2427)

557. Thrace. A seismic sea wave in Thrace is listed by Guidoboni (1989) in AD 557 on the authority of Glycas. I can find no evidence that this phenomenon had a seismic origin. Glycas does not mention an earthquake and, moreover, the flooding he speaks about occurred in AD 544. (reference #9116)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 557 The 500s Recent earthquakes near here

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 9971.