Istanbul is near the North Anatolian Fault , close to the boundary between the African and Eurasian Plates . This fault zone , which runs from northern Anatolia to the Sea of Marmara , has been responsible for several deadly earthquakes throughout the city 's history . Among the most devastating of these seismic events was the 1509 earthquake , which caused a tsunami that broke over the walls of the city and killed more than 10,000 people . More recently , in 1999 , an earthquake with its epicenter in nearby İzmit left 18,000 people dead , including 1,000 people in Istanbul 's suburbs . The people of Istanbul remain concerned that an even more catastrophic seismic event may be in the city 's near future , as thousands of structures recently built to accommodate Istanbul 's rapidly increasing population may not have been constructed properly . Seismologists say the risk of a 7.6-magnitude or greater earthquake striking Istanbul by 2030 is more than
an earthquake
1999 İzmit earthquake
Istanbul