How Turkey’s Anatolian Fault System Causes Devastating Earthquakes

The major earthquake and large aftershock in Turkey on Monday are two of more than 70 quakes of magnitude 6.5 or higher recorded in the region since 1900. Turkey’s two main fault zones — the East Anatolian and the North Anatolian — make it one of the most seismically active regions in the world. Magnitudes of major earthquakes since 1900 Map showing the East Anatolian and North Anatolian fault zones in Turkey. Eurasian Plate Bulgaria North Anatolian Fault Istanbul Ankara Iran Turkey East Anatolian Fault Feb. 6 Gaziantep Anatolian Plate Greece Arabian Plate Syria Iraq Beirut Earthquake magnitude Damascus African Plate 8 7 200 miles 6 Eurasian Plate North Anatolian Fault Istanbul Ankara Turkey East Anatolian Fault Feb. 6 Anatolian Plate Arabian Plate Syria Iraq Earthquake magnitude Beirut Damascus 8 Tel Aviv 7 200 miles 6 United States Geological Survey Sources: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Notes: Includes earthquakes since 1900 that are classified as significant earthquakes by the National Centers for Environmental Information based on a series of criteria including deaths, damage and magnitude. But there have been several extremely deadly quakes in the North Anatolian Fault Zones as well, including one in 1999 about 60 miles from Istanbul that killed about 17,000 people.