An earthquake expert has explained that Türkiye experiences approximately three major earthquakes every 20 years, underlining the country’s ongoing seismic risk and the importance of preparedness measures.
Professor Mehmet Ali Kaya, director of the Trakya University Natural Disaster Management Application and Research Center, explained during a conference titled “Türkiye’s Earthquake Reality” held as part of Earthquake Week events.
The conference took place at Aheste Social Facilities on the Ayşekadın Campus of Trakya University, located in Edirne, northwestern Türkiye, where Kaya addressed academics and students about the country’s seismic activity and earthquake statistics.
Kaya emphasized that Türkiye is located on an active earthquake belt, meaning movements in the Earth’s crust continue regularly across the region. He noted that seismic activity has remained intense since the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, with aftershocks continuing in the affected areas.
Providing an overview of earthquake frequency, Kaya said that earthquakes with a magnitude above 4 occur in Türkiye roughly every 10 days. While many of these tremors cause limited impact, stronger earthquakes have the potential to result in significant damage.
According to the data he presented, 47 earthquakes with a magnitude above 6.5 have occurred in Türkiye over the past 125 years, meaning the country faces an earthquake of that size roughly every 2.5 years. Kaya explained that earthquakes of this magnitude are typically felt widely and may lead to structural damage.
He also noted that in global scientific literature, earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 or higher are classified as major earthquakes. Over the same 125-year period, 19 earthquakes above magnitude 7 have been recorded in Türkiye, demonstrating the scale of the country’s seismic exposure.
Referring to recent decades, Kaya said that five major earthquakes have occurred in the last 26 years, including the 1999 Kocaeli and Düzce earthquakes, the 2010 Van earthquake, and the 2023 Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes.
“These figures clearly show that Türkiye experiences approximately three major earthquakes every 20 years,” Kaya said, stressing that recognizing this reality is essential for strengthening disaster preparedness and risk mitigation.
