The 1971 Bingöl earthquake was a 6.6 earthquake that occurred at on 22 May. It had a surface-wave magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale, killing 755–1,000 people.
Tectonic setting
Most of Turkey lies on the Anatolian Plate. Deformation from is accommodated through three main faults: the eastern portion of the Hellenic Trench accommodates convergence between the Aegean Sea Plate and the Anatolian Plate in the south, the North Anatolian Fault in the north accommodates the collision between the Arabian Plate and the Eurasian Plate which forces the Anatolian west, and the East Anatolian Fault in the east, on which this earthquake occurred, accommodates the same deformation.
Earthquake
The 6.6 earthquake struck near the city of Bingöl, Turkey at 18:44 local time. The depth it struck at varies depending on the agency, but it is agreed to be very shallow. The estimates are between and . The focal mechanism was likely strike-slip as this earthquake occurred on the East Anatolian Fault. There were two magnitude 5.1 aftershocks on the day of the mainshock. The mainshock ruptured along a × area of the East Anatolian Fault. A second rupture area measuring × was detected to the northeast. The two rupture areas produced maximum slips of and , respectively.
Damage
The earthquake killed at least 755 people and injured 1,200 more. In Bingöl, 90 percent of buildings were destroyed, including the prison and hospital. It caused a total of $5 million USD in damage.
See also
List of earthquakes in 1971
List of earthquakes in Turkey
References
Further reading
Seymen, İ. & Aydın, A. (1972). The Bingöl earthquake fault and its relation to the North Anatolian Fault Zone. Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration, 79 (79), 1–12.