Turkey M 7.2 Earthquake’s Tectonic : Strike-Slip Faulting of Converging Arabian Plate Over Eurasia

In 1999 M = 7.6 earthquake struck Turkey Izmit region killed 17,000 people and left 500,000 homeless and injured several thousand people. Turkey  Mw 7.2 October 23, 2011 is a reminder of the many deadly seismic events that Turkey has suffered in the recent past. The devastating Turkey Mw 7.2 October 23, 2011 results from the collision of the Arabian Plate and Eurasian plates; at the latitude of this event, the Arabian plate converges with Eurasia in a northerly direction at a rate of approximately 24 mm/yr. West of the October 23, 2011, earthquake tectonics are dominated by strike-slip faulting on the East (in southern Turkey) and North (in northern Turkey) Anatolian fault zones. These large, translational fault systems extend across much of central and western Turkey and accommodate the western motion of the Anatolian block as it is being squeezed by the converging Arabian and Eurasian plates. In the area of Lake Van and further east, tectonics are dominated by the Bitlis Suture Zone (in eastern Turkey) and Zagros fold and thrust belt (toward Iran). The October 23, 2011 earthquake occurred in a broad region of convergence beyond the eastern extent of Anatolian strike-slip tectonics. The focal mechanism of today's earthquake is consistent with oblique-thrust faulting similar to mapped faults in the region.
Historical Activity of North Anatolian Fault: 
The devastating Izmit earthquake of 1999 broke a section of the North Anatolian Fault 1000 km to the west of the October 23 event and killed 17,000 people, injured 50,000, and left 500,000 homeless. Approximately 70 km from this earthquake a M7.3 earthquake occurred on November 11, 1976 destroying several villages near the Turkey and Iran border and killing several thousand people. A M7.8 earthquake struck Erzincan in 1939, killing an estimated 33,000 people.

Spectral Response: 1 Second Period
Seismic Details: 
2011 October 23 10:41:21 UTC : EASTERN TURKEYMagnitude: 7.2
Date-Time : Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 10:41:21 UTCC
Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 01:41:21 PM at epicenternter
Location : 38.628°N, 43.486°E
Depth : 20 km (12.4 miles) set by location program
Region : EASTERN TURKEY
Distances: 17 km (10 miles) NNE (32°) from Van, Turkey
117 km (72 miles) N (349°) from Hakkari, Turkey
128 km (80 miles) SSE (163°) from Karakose (Agri), Turkey
194 km (120 miles) SSW (207°) from YEREVAN, Armenia
Subduction Zones-Purple, Ridges-Red and Transform Faults Green
Location Uncertainty : Error estimate yet not available
Parameters : Nph=0, Dmin=0 km, Rmss=0 sec, Gp= 0, M-type=centroid moment magnitude (Mw), Version=1

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