27.10.2025 09:04
Prof. Dr. Şener Üşümezsoy stated that the 3.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred off the coast of Istanbul is not a cause for concern. He pointed out that the Black Sea region is "safe" in terms of earthquakes, emphasizing that the real danger lies along the Manisa-Denizli line in the Aegean region. Üşümezsoy said, "The Alaşehir-Buldan line is the place where the seven holy churches mentioned in the Bible were destroyed by an earthquake."
Earthquake expert Prof. Dr. Şener Üşümezsoy stated that the 3.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred off the coast of Istanbul does not pose a cause for concern. Üşümezsoy emphasized that the Black Sea is a tectonically calm region, while the real risk lies along the Aegean line extending from Manisa to Denizli.
"3.7 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE IS QUITE SMALL"
In evaluations made to CNN Türk, Prof. Dr. Şener Üşümezsoy expressed that the 3.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred in the Black Sea is quite small. "This earthquake may even be a seismic reflection. It involves the tearing of an area with a radius of about 500 meters," said Üşümezsoy, reminding that earthquakes above 5 magnitude have occurred in the past off the coast of Zonguldak.
Stating that the earthquake occurred in the Sredna Gora depression area north of the Istranca Mountains, Üşümezsoy said, "The region is not very tectonically active. Therefore, we do not expect a large earthquake here."
"THE BLACK SEA IS TURKEY'S MOST COMFORTABLE REGION"
Reiterating that the Black Sea is a "comfortable" region in terms of earthquakes, Üşümezsoy stated, "The opening period of the Black Sea dates back a long time. That period has now ended. It is not a very active region now, but earthquakes of 5 to 5.5 magnitude can occasionally occur on reverse faults along the coasts. However, these are not considered large earthquakes."
"THE REAL RISK IS IN THE AEGEAN REGION"
Making the most striking statement regarding earthquake risk for the Aegean, Üşümezsoy said, "The region extending from Manisa to Denizli is at the center of the active tectonics of the Aegean. The Alaşehir and Buldan line has historically experienced significant tremors. The places where the seven sacred churches mentioned in the Bible were destroyed by earthquakes are also here."
Touching on the activity along the Simav line, Üşümezsoy stated that the earthquakes in the region do not pose a great danger and can be evaluated more as 'earthquake storms' caused by hot water movements.
"EDIRNE AND KIRKLARELI ARE GREEN ON THE RISK MAP"
Answering questions about the Thrace region, Üşümezsoy said, "Edirne and Kırklareli are part of an old Thrace basin. Therefore, they are among the 'green' or low-risk areas on the risk map. The fault movements in the Black Sea do not change this situation."
"THE NUMBER OF EARTHQUAKES HAS NOT INCREASED, BUT THE RECORDS HAVE"
Evaluating claims that earthquakes have become more frequent recently, Üşümezsoy emphasized that the increase is due to technical reasons: "Thanks to increasing communication opportunities and developing seismic networks, even very small tremors are now being recorded. This does not mean that earthquake activity has increased."
Stating that the recent tremor in the Black Sea has no relation to the North Anatolian Fault, Üşümezsoy concluded his remarks by saying, "There is nothing to be concerned about."