Eastern Turkey Earthquake 2011: Latest Facts, News, Photos & Maps

2011 Eastern Turkey Earthquake

The United States Geological Survey reported that an M 7.2 earthquake struck in the Van Province of Turkey on Sunday, October 23, 2011, not far from the border with Iran, at 13:41 (10:41 GMT). Some 600 people died, 4,100 were injured, and nearly 2,260 buildings have been destroyed in the disaster zone, with the town of Ercis the worst hit. The death toll is expected to rise as outlying areas are reached. About 200 aftershocks have hit the region including one of magnitude 6.0 late on Sunday.¹ As the full extent of the damage became clear, desperate survivors dug with bare hands into the collapsed steel and concrete, trying to rescue the trapped and the injured. The Turkish Red Crescent sent tents, blankets and other supplies to the area.² Turkey lies in one of the world's most active seismic zones and is crossed by numerous fault lines. In 1999, two earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7 struck northwestern Turkey, killing about 18,000 people. More recently, a magnitude 6 quake in March 2010 killed 51 people in eastern Turkey, while in 2003, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake killed 177 people in the southeastern city of Bingol.³

Contents

Earthquake Facts

Latest News, Photos & Videos

(11-15-11) – CNN: Temblor Shakes Quake-Stricken Eastern Turkey
(11-10-11) – Washington Post: Latest Turkish Earthquake Kills at Least 8 People
(11-3-11) – New York Times: Recipe for Disaster in Turkey's Quake Zone
(10-31-11) – CNN: Death Toll from Turkey Quake More than 600
(10-28-11) – Wall Street Journal: Questions Mount as Turkish Toll Rises
(10-28-11) – Time: Turkey Quake Rubble: Survivor Emerges
(10-27-11) – Fox59: Turkish Earthquake Devastation Compounded by Lax Code Enforcement
(10-27-11) – Christian Science Monitor: Why Turkey is Such a Hot Spot for Seismic Activity
(10-27-11) – International Business Times: 2011 Turkey Earthquake is a True Disaster
(10-27-11) – Time: Turkey's Earthquake Toll a Grim Reminder of Lessons Not Learned
(10-27-11) – Washington Post: Officials say Death Toll in Turkish Quake has Gone Up to 534
(10-26-11) – BBC: Turkey quake: Aftershock causes prison riot
(10-25-11) – Financial Times: Turkish Quake Death Toll Rises Sharply
(10-25-11) – Bloomberg: Turkey Seeks Quake Survivors as Snow Nears
(10-25-11) – Wall Street Journal: Stricken Zone is Seismically Active and Ill-Prepared
(10-25-11) – Wall Street Journal: Quake Victims Struggle in Aftermath
(10-25-11) – Christian Science Monitor: Digging Out From Quake, Fears of More Casualties
(10-25-11) – LA Times: Turkey Rescue Workers Dig for Quake Victims
(10-25-11) – New York Times: Death Toll Rises as Rescuers Race to Find Trapped Survivors
(10-24-11) – Reuters: Destitute Turkish Quake Survivors Cram Into Tents
(10-24-11) – Bloomberg: Turkey Quake Toll Rises to 279
(10-24-11) – Aljazeera: Turkey Earthquake Death Toll Nears 300
(10-24-11) – Reuters: "Seismic Storm" Makes Turkey Earthquake Savvy
(10-24-11) – BBC: Desperate Search for Survivors
(10-24-11) – Washington Post: 5 Survivors Saved from Rubble
(10-24-11) – LA Times: Death Toll Could Soar in Turkey Quake
(10-24-11) – New York Times: Many Die as Eastern Turkey is Jolted by Quake
(10-24-11) – NPR: Crews Dig for Survivors After Deadly Quake
(10-24-11) – The Guardian: Rescuers Frantically Search for Survivors
(10-24-11) – Time: 4 Found After Quake; 272 Dead
(10-24-11) – Telegraph (UK): Four Pulled from Rubble After Victim Calls for Help on Mobile Phone
(10-24-11) – LA Times: Turkey Declines Israeli Assistance in Earthquake Recovery

Special Reports & Blogs

Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology: Comparing the Impact of the Eastern Turkey Earthquake to Past Earthquakes
Kandilli Observatory & Earthquake Research Institute: Eastern Turkey Earthquake: Introduction
Kandilli Observatory & Earthquake Research Institute: Eastern Turkey Earthquake: Strong Ground Motion
Time: Social Media to the Rescue
New York Times: Designing for Safety in Turkey and Other Earthquake Zones
International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent: Turkey Earthquake: Information Bulletin

Satellite, Aerial Imagery & Maps

USGS: Earthquake Location Map
USGS: Community Internet Intensity Map
USGS: ShakeMap
USGS: Pager Earthquake Impact
USGS: Historical Seismicity
USGS: Seismic Hazard Map
USGS: Earthquake Density Maps
Telegraph (UK): Aerial View of Earthquake-Hit Turkey

Disaster Education Resources

MCEER: Earthquake Education Resources
MCEER: Natural Disaster Lesson Plans & Activities
MCEER: How Earthquakes Affect Buildings
MCEER: Advanced Earthquake Resistant Design Techniques
MCEER: Designing Structures to Perform Well During an Earthquake
MCEER: Connecte²d Teaching: Extreme Event Design
MCEER: Frequently Asked Questions
MCEER: Soils & Earthquakes
MCEER: Building a Shake Table
IRIS: Teachable Moments - Magnitude 7.2 Eastern Turkey

Turkish Disaster, Engineering, and Research Institutes

MCEER Publications

Additional details and purchasing information for each of these 4 technical reports is available through MCEER Publications.

Marmara, Turkey Earthquake of August 17, 1999: Reconnaissance Report
MCEER 00-0001
Assessment of Performance of Bolu Viaduct in the 1999 Duzce Earthquake in Turkey
MCEER 02-0001
Methodologies for Post-Earthquake Building Damage Detection Using SAR and Optical Remote Sensing: Application to the August 17, 1999 Marmara, Turkey Earthquake
MCEER 04-0004
MCEER Response: Kocaeli (Izmit), Turkey Earthquake
MCCER 99-SP02

QUAKELINE® Literature Searches

Earthquake Resource Websites

USGS – Turkey Earthquake Information
USGS – Historic Earthquakes in Turkey
SISMO – General Directorate of Disaster Affairs Earthquake Research Department, Seismology
EMSC – European-Mediterranean Earthquake Centre

Background Information & Resources on Turkey

MCEER: Major Turkish Earthquakes of the 20th Century
World Factbook: Turkey
BBC: Country Profile: Turkey