During the first eight months of the year, Turkey has been hit by 28 002 earthquakes, making this year well on the way to be most seismically active since reliable records began. Notable uptick started in June with 4 243 earthquakes and continued in July with 4 349 and in August with 4 501 (by August 30), almost half of what the country experienced within the first 5 months of the year.

According to the earthquake distribution map, the country’s western regions had been hit particularly bad by a series of earthquakes, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Earthquakes in Turkey by month in 2016. Credit: AFAD

Earthquakes in Turkey by month in 2017. Credit: AFAD

The quakes have particularly intensified in the Marmara and Aegean regions, which had an average of five earthquakes of varying sizes per day. The map revealed that earthquakes were most commonly observed in the Istanbul-Çanakkale-İzmir-Muğla fault line.

In terms of the magnitudes of 2017 quakes, there were 135 tremors with a magnitude of between 4 and 5, 13 with a magnitude of between 5 and 6, and two with a magnitude of between 6 and 7. During the same period, 18 678 earthquakes had a magnitude of up to 2, 6 469 quakes had a magnitude of between 2 and 3, and 993 quakes had a magnitude of between 3 and 4.

Earthquakes in Turkey by year. Credit: AFAD

According to analyses, an earthquake with a magnitude of seven or more is expected to shake the Istanbul region within 30 years of the deadly 1999 Marmara earthquake. As 18 years have already passed since that quake, AFAD experts believe there is a 60% possibility that a major earthquake will shake the country’s biggest city in the next 12 years.

Featured image credit: AFAD