| 1784 Erzincan earthquake | |
| Pre-1900: | yes |
| Magnitude: | 7.6 [1] |
| Location: | 39.5°N 40.2°W |
| Fault: | North Anatolian Fault |
| Type: | Strike-slip |
| Affected: | Erzincan Ottoman Empire |
| Casualties: | 5,000–>10,000 dead |
Erzincan in Turkey, then part of the Ottoman Empire, was struck by a major earthquake on 18 July 1784. It caused widespread damage between Erzincan and Muş. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.6 . More than 90% of the houses in Erzincan collapsed and at least 5,000 people died,[2] with some reports of more than 10,000 deaths.[3] A 150 km long zone of surface rupture was observed.[1] It ruptured the Yedisu segment at the eastern end of the North Anatolian Fault, which has not ruptured since then and is now regarded as a seismic gap. In 2013 it was estimated that about 2.67 m of displacement deficit has accumulated on this fault segment since 1784, sufficient to drive an earthquake of up to 7.5.[4]