Estimating the Recurrence Periods of Earthquake Data in Turkey

In this paper, the 231 earthquake data of magnitude 5 and higher, between north (39.00˚ - 42.00˚) and east (26.00˚ - 45.00˚) coordinates in Turkey from July 12, 1900 to October 23, 2011 are statistically analyzed. The probability density function and cumulative function of the magnitude are derived. It is shown that magnitude random variable is distributed as the exponential distribution. The recurrence periods is also calculated. Recurrence period is estimated approximately two times a year for an earthquake having magnitude 5.2.