Historic Earthquakes
Magnitude 6.4 EASTERN TURKEY
2003 May 01 00:27:04 UTC
Seismicity Map
Seismic Hazard Setting
Tectonic Map of Turkey
May 1, 2003 earthquake location (approximate) indicated as a red star.
Image from
Implications for Earthquake Risk Reduction in the United States from the Kocaeli, Turkey,
Earthquake of August 17, 1999.
The tectonic map of Turkey includes the North Anatolian fault, East Anatolian fault,
and Hellenic and Florence trenches. The westward movement of the Anatolian block results
from (1) differences in rates of motion between the Arabian and African plates,
(2) different directions of motion between the Anatolian block and Eurasian plate to the north,
and (3) subduction of the African plate beneath the Anatolian block at the
Hellenic and Florence trenches. The Arabian plate is moving to the north faster than the
African plate, both relative to a stable Eurasian plate. The result is a westward moving wedge
incorporating most of Turkey.
