7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Kahramanmaraş in southern Turkey on March 28, 1513
A disputed Ms 7.4 earthquake allegedly devastating cities in southern Anatolia, later questioned as possible conflation of smaller events.
Key Facts
- Estimated Magnitude
- Ms 7.4
- Date (felt in Cairo)
- 28 March 1513
- Cities reportedly destroyed
- Malatya, Tarsus, Adana
- Distance between affected cities
- More than 340 km km
- Associated fault segment
- Pazarcık Segment
- Years since prior major event
- ~400 years after 1114 Marash earthquake
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The earthquake is associated with rupture along the Pazarcık Segment in southern Turkey, a fault zone that had last experienced a major event (also magnitude 7.4 or higher) approximately 400 years earlier in 1114, suggesting a long accumulation of tectonic stress in the region.
In 1513 or possibly 1514, a seismic event allegedly struck the Marash region of southern Anatolia. A 16th-century account examined by Nicholas Ambraseys described the cities of Malatya, Tarsus, and Adana as 'almost totally destroyed,' leading to a minimum magnitude estimate of Ms 7.4. Later researchers, however, found no corroborating evidence of large-scale destruction and proposed the accounts may conflate two separate smaller events.
Subsequent scholarly investigation by Viviana Castelli and Massimiliano Stucchi cast doubt on the event's severity, finding no evidence of major destruction or documented relief efforts. The Pazarcık Segment's long seismic gap led researchers by 2018 to warn of significant pressure buildup, recommending preparation for a future earthquake of magnitude 7.5 or greater.