The western and central parts of Turkey lie on the eastern part of the Anatolian Plate , which is currently being forced to the west by the continuing northward movement of the Arabian Plate . In northern Turkey , this westward motion is taken up by a major zone of dextral ( right-lateral ) strike-slip , the North Anatolian Fault . The 1999 Düzce event is the most recent in a sequence of large earthquakes that have affected the North Anatolian Fault , starting towards the eastern end with the 1939 Erzincan earthquake , then propagating towards the west with events in 1942 , 1943 , 1944 , 1951 , 1957 , 1967 and finally the 1999 İzmit event . At its western end the North Anatolian Fault splits into two main segments , with the northern of these giving rise to the 1999 earthquakes
1939 Erzincan earthquake
1939 Erzincan earthquake
1999 Düzce earthquake