On April 23, 2025, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 was registered in the Marmara Sea region, Western Turkey - the strongest in this region in the last ten years. This was announced by the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NIGGG-BAS) through a post on its official Facebook page, BTA reports.
The earthquake is localized in the western part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone - one of the most active seismic zones in the region. The earthquake was also felt in Bulgaria, the institute reported, adding that over 120 secondary (aftershock) events were registered after the main quake.
According to experts from the NIGGG-BAS, active seismicity in Turkey is determined by the complex interaction between the African, Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates, as well as the presence of several microplates, including the Anatolian one. The North Anatolian fault zone, which extends for about 1,500 kilometers from eastern Turkey to mainland Greece, is home to a large part of the earthquake activity in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Historically, this area has witnessed a number of destructive earthquakes. Between 1939 and 1999, a series of earthquakes with a magnitude of over 7 caused severe damage. The 1999 earthquake was particularly devastating. near the city of Izmit, which claimed the lives of over 17,000 people.
As reported by BTA, the strong earthquake of April 23 shook Istanbul and other regions of the country, but fortunately there were no casualties or serious material damage. Over 150 people were injured in evacuation attempts and panic. The tremor caused mini-tsunamis in the Bosphorus, with a noticeable increase in wave height.
Seismic activity in the region continues to be monitored, especially after the devastating earthquake in February 2023, which shook southern Turkey and northern Syria. It killed over 55,000 people and injured over 107,000. Many of the survivors still live in temporary housing.