5.1 magnitude earthquake rattles Turkey’s northwest

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake in the Marmara Sea rattled several northwestern provinces, including Istanbul and Bursa, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) has announced.

The first quake occurred in the Gemlik Bay off Bursa at 10:42 a.m. on Nov. 4 and was followed by a 4.5 magnitude aftershock just three minutes later, with a reported depth of 8.98 kilometers.

Many users shared messages regarding the tremor on social media, while people left their houses, workplaces and schools in panic in the Kocaeli, Sakarya and Çanakkale, where the tremors were also felt.

AFAD stated that there was no loss of life or collapsed buildings in the provinces.

"There is no negative situation after the 5.1 and 4.5 magnitude earthquakes in the Gemlik Bay of the Marmara Sea. Field surveys are ongoing, and our teams are on alert,” AFAD said in a written statement.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gül also reported that initial assessments indicated no adverse developments. Bursa Governor Mahmut Demirtaş clarified that while no damage occurred in the province, some schools were evacuated due to students' panic.

The 5.1 magnitude earthquake, particularly impactful on Istanbul with its approximately 16 million population, follows a series of escalating warnings about the increasing likelihood of large-scale and potentially catastrophic seismic events in the Marmara region in recent months.

Addressing the issue, expert Şükrü Ersoy highlighted that the fault responsible for the earthquake on Nov. 4 has the potential to generate significant tremors.

"A 5-magnitude earthquake is equivalent to the energy of about 30 earthquakes of magnitude 4. Therefore, if the ground conditions are poor, those in Gemlik must have felt it intensely. The occurrence of a larger earthquake being triggered by a 5-magnitude earthquake is not possible for now. Misinformation is spreading on social media."

AFAD's director of Earthquake Risk Reduction, Orhan Tatar, emphasized that these medium and small-scale non-damaging earthquakes should serve as a reminder for everyone in the Marmara Region to accelerate precautionary measures for the imminent major earthquake.