It’s reported that today powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 struck eastern Turkey in an area near the Iranian border at 1:41 p.m., collapsed some buildings in the center of the city of Van and causing a number of deaths. Turkey is lying atop the North Anatolian fault, that is the cause of earthquakes frequently. Here is the list of the most powerful earthquakes that have ruptured the North Anatolian fault:
1939 December 26. Magnitude (MS) 7.9 – 8.0. 30,000 deaths. Fault length about 360 km. Initiated the eastward migration of significant earthquakes on the North Anatolian fault. (Termed the 1939 Erzincan earthquake)
1942 December 20. Magnitude (MS) 7.1. Fault length about 50 km. (Termed the 1942 Erbaa earthquake)
1943 November 26. Magnitude (MS) 7.6. Fault length about 280 km. (Termed the 1943 Tosya earthquake)
1944 February 01. Magnitude (MS) 7.3. Fault length about 165 km. (Termed the 1944 Bolu-Gerede earthquake)
1957 May 26. Magnitude (MS) about 7. Fault length about 30 km. (Termed the 1957 Abant earthquake)
1967 July 22. Magnitude (MS) 7.1. Fault length about 80 km. (Termed the 1967 Mudurnu Valley earthquake)
1999 August 17. Magnitude (MS) 7.8; MW 7.4-7.5)
2011 October 23. Magnitude (MS) 7.2