Western Asia
What tectonic plate is Turkey on?
Turkey spans 4 tectonic plates: the Anatolian Plate (59%), the Eurasian Plate (28%), the Arabian Plate (11%) and the Aegean Sea Plate (2.6%).
- Plates
- 4
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 42
- Holocene volcanoes
- 7
- Land area
- 779,809 km²
Plates under Turkey
Share of Turkey's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
8 plate boundaries run through or along Turkey: the Arabian-Eurasian boundary (convergent, about 3.5 cm/yr), the Aegean Sea-Anatolian boundary (divergent, about 1.5 cm/yr), the Aegean Sea-Eurasian boundary (divergent, about 3.0 cm/yr), the Arabian-African boundary (divergent, about 1.4 cm/yr), the Anatolian-Arabian boundary (convergent, about 1.6 cm/yr), the Anatolian-Eurasian boundary (transform, about 2.4 cm/yr), the Aegean Sea-African boundary (convergent, about 3.8 cm/yr) and the Anatolian-African boundary (convergent, about 1.4 cm/yr).
- Arabian and Eurasian: convergent, 3.5 cm/yr
- Aegean Sea and Anatolian: divergent, 1.5 cm/yr
- Aegean Sea and Eurasian: divergent, 3.0 cm/yr
- Arabian and African: divergent, 1.4 cm/yr
- Anatolian and Arabian: convergent, 1.6 cm/yr
- Anatolian and Eurasian: transform, 2.4 cm/yr
- Aegean Sea and African: convergent, 3.8 cm/yr
- Anatolian and African: convergent, 1.4 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Aegean Sea-African boundary, where the plates move about 3.8 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Turkey
Turkey has frequent large earthquakes: 42 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 19 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 km NNE of Erzincan, Turkey | M7.8 | 1939 | 20 km | Eurasian |
| Pazarcik earthquake, Kahramanmaras earthquake sequence | M7.8 | 2023 | 10 km | Arabian |
| 10 km WNW of Orta, Turkey | M7.6 | 1944 | 30 km | Anatolian |
| 4 km ESE of Derince, Turkey | M7.6 | 1999 | 17 km | Anatolian |
| 6 km SSE of Ilgaz, Turkey | M7.5 | 1943 | 20 km | Anatolian |
| Elbistan earthquake, Kahramanmaras earthquake sequence | M7.5 | 2023 | 7 km | Anatolian |
Volcanoes in Turkey
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 7 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Turkey.
- Tenduruk Dagi Shield · 3,514 m Last eruption 1855
- Ararat Stratovolcano · 5,165 m Last eruption 1840
- Nemrut Dagi Stratovolcano · 2,948 m Last eruption 1650
- Erciyes Volcanic Complex Stratovolcano · 3,864 m Last eruption 6880 BCE
- Kula Volcanic field · 750 m Last eruption Unknown
- Hasandag-Keciboyduran Volcanic Complex Stratovolcano · 3,253 m Last eruption Unknown
- Karaca Dag Shield · 1,957 m Last eruption Unknown
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Turkey on?
Turkey spans 4 tectonic plates: the Anatolian Plate (59%), the Eurasian Plate (28%), the Arabian Plate (11%) and the Aegean Sea Plate (2.6%).
Is Turkey on a plate boundary?
8 plate boundaries run through or along Turkey: the Arabian-Eurasian boundary (convergent, about 3.5 cm/yr), the Aegean Sea-Anatolian boundary (divergent, about 1.5 cm/yr), the Aegean Sea-Eurasian boundary (divergent, about 3.0 cm/yr), the Arabian-African boundary (divergent, about 1.4 cm/yr), the Anatolian-Arabian boundary (convergent, about 1.6 cm/yr), the Anatolian-Eurasian boundary (transform, about 2.4 cm/yr), the Aegean Sea-African boundary (convergent, about 3.8 cm/yr) and the Anatolian-African boundary (convergent, about 1.4 cm/yr).
Does Turkey get earthquakes?
Turkey has frequent large earthquakes: 42 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 19 of 213). The largest was the M7.8 20 km NNE of Erzincan, Turkey in 1939.
Are there volcanoes in Turkey?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 7 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Turkey.