- Type:
- Earthquake
- Date:
- December 26, 1939 CE
- Location:
- Turkey, Erzincan
- Magnitude:
- 7.8 Mw
- Depth:
- 20 km
- Deaths:
- 32,700
- Injuries:
- 100,000
- Intensity (MMI):
- 12
- Damage:
- ~$20M (value at the time)
Cross-catalog records
This event is recorded in 6 separate scientific catalogs, each of which may give a different magnitude (the disagreement between catalogs is itself valuable for research):
- NOAA_SIGEQ: Mw 7.8
- NOAA_SIGEQ: M 5.9
- EMEC_2021: Mw 5.82
- EMEC_2021: Mw 7.6
- EMEC_2021: Mw 5.3
- EMEC_2021: Mw 5.2
Other earthquake records of 1939 CE
- Chile, Chillan · Ms 8.3 · 30,000 deaths
- Turkey · M 6.5 · 41 deaths
- Peru, Pomacanchi · 37 deaths
- Japan, Honshu: Nw · Ms 7 · 27 deaths
- Ghana, Accra · Mw 6.4 · 22 deaths
- Turkey, Erzincan · M 5.9 · 13 deaths
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database, doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K · License: U.S. Government Work · institutional record ↗
Frequently asked questions
- When did 1939 CE Earthquake — Turkey, Erzincan happen?
- December 26, 1939 CE.
- Where does this information come from?
- This record comes from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database, doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K; it was not hand-authored and is stored together with its source.
- How many people died?
- Recorded estimate: 32,700. Historical death tolls vary by source.