The 1971 Bingöl earthquake was a earthquake that occurred at on 22 May. It had a
surface-wave magnitude
The surface wave magnitude (M_s) scale is one of the magnitude scales used in seismology to describe the size of an earthquake. It is based on measurements of Rayleigh surface waves that travel along the uppermost layers of the Earth. This mag ...
of 6.9 and a maximum intensity of IX (''Violent'') on the
Mercalli intensity scale
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS) measures the effects of an earthquake at a given location. This is in contrast with the seismic magnitude usually reported for an earthquake.
Magnitude scales measure the inherent force or ...
, killing 755–1,000 people.
Bingöl
Bingöl (; ; ), known as Çapakçur before 1944, is a city in Turkey. It is the seat of Bingöl Province and Bingöl District,
Most of Turkey lies on the
Anatolian Plate
The Anatolian plate is a continental tectonic plate lying under Asiatic part of Turkey, known as Anatolia. Most of the country of Turkey is located on the Anatolian plate. The plate is separated from the Eurasian plate and the Arabian plate ...
. Movement of the plate is accommodated through four main faults: the Aegean extensional system (AES), the Cyprus Arc, the
North Anatolian Fault
The North Anatolian Fault (NAF; ) is an active right-lateral strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia, and is the transform boundary between the Eurasian plate and the Anatolian sub-plate. The fault extends westward from a junction with the Ea ...
(NAF), the
East Anatolian Fault
The East Anatolian Fault (EAF; ) is a ~700 km long major strike-slip fault zone running from eastern to south-central Turkey. It forms the transform type tectonic boundary between the Anatolian sub-plate and the northward-moving Arabian ...
(EAF). The AES accommodates extensional forces between the Anatolian and Aegean Sea plates, and the Cyprus Arc accommodates convergence in the south between the African plate and the Anatolian Plate. In the north, the NAF accommodates the faulting between the Eurasian plate and the Anatolian plate and has produced prolific earthquakes such as the
1939 Erzincan earthquake
An earthquake struck Turkey's eastern Erzincan Province at with a moment magnitude () of 7.8 and maximum Mercalli intensity of XII (''Extreme''). It is tied with the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes as the most powerful earthquake in Turkey to ...
. In the east, the Arabian plate and the Eurasian plate grind past each other, forming the EAF, the fault responsible for this earthquake. The EAF is a left-lateral strike slip fault which extends for and slips at a decreasing rate from east to west of per year.
Earthquake
The earthquake struck near the city of
Bingöl
Bingöl (; ; ), known as Çapakçur before 1944, is a city in Turkey. It is the seat of Bingöl Province and Bingöl District,Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
at 18:44:02 local time. It was assigned a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX. Various seismic observatories reported different focal depths but it is agreed to be very shallow. The estimates are between and . The focal mechanism showed left lateral strike-slip faulting, consistent with faulting along the East Anatolian Fault. Small foreshocks were strongly felt locally, and two magnitude 5.1 aftershocks were felt on the day of the mainshock. Aftershocks continued to be felt for a couple months after 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. Minimal vertical displacement of was also found in parts of the southwestern portion of the rupture. Surface faulting was visible from Ormanardı in the southwest to Çobantaşı in the northeast over a distance of .
Impact
The earthquake killed at least 755 people and injured another 1,200–1500.
Rubble masonry
Rubble masonry or rubble stone is rough, uneven building stone not laid in regular courses. It may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or ashlar. Some medieval cathedral walls have outer shells of ashlar wi ...
and
reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...
houses alike were severely damaged in the Bingöl plain. In Bingöl, 90 percent of buildings were destroyed, including the prison and hospital. Bridges crossing the Göynük and
Murat
Murat may refer to:
Places Australia
* Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia
* Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area
France
* Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier
* Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal
Elsew ...
rivers were closed to traffic due to damage caused by surficial effects of the earthquake. The total cost of damage was estimated at US$5 million.Sand boils formed at some ground cracks, and landslides and rockfalls were also observed. At least two people were killed in
Palu
Palu, officially known as the City of Palu ( Indonesian: ''Kota Palu''), is the capital and largest city of Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia. Palu is located on the northwestern coast of Sulawesi and borders Donggala Regency to the north ...
, a town some west of Bingöl. About half of the 800 reported deaths came from villages outside Bingöl.
In response to the disaster, officials deployed a field hospital and 10 medical personnel from Elazig. In Erzurum, 1,500 tents were sent to the affected area. On 23 May, the governor of Elazig said the Eighth Army Corps mobilised doctors and a convoy to Bingöl. Officials brought mobile kitchens, tents, food and water. The Turkish Red Crescent said it received offer for assistance from the League of Red Cross Societies and Iran to which they said was not needed. Prime minister Nihat Erim, who visited Bingöl with the health, construction and interior ministers, said most people in the area lived in sun-dried brick homes, incapable of withstanding earthquakes.