The 26 September 2019 Istanbul Earthquake, Its characteristics and reminders

The megacity Istanbul was struck by an earthquake on September 26, 2019, with a moment magnitude (Mw) of 5.8. The mainshock was followed by many aftershocks. Although the peak ground acceleration (PGA) of the mainshock was as low as 0.08 g, its effect has been more than expected. The intensive reconnaissance studies were accomplished in the highly populated Zeytinburnu and Pendik districts of Istanbul. While the earthquake (EQ) was relatively smaller concerning record-specific intensity measures; the damages such as concrete spalling in reinforced concrete (RC) members, detachment and diagonal cracking of infill walls in RC frames as well as cracks in masonry structures were reported from non-engineered and some engineered buildings. Many studies in the literature state that record-specific intensity measures are not sufficient to evaluate the seismic performance of the structures. The structure-specific intensity measures, soil characteristics, as well as significant duration, energy, and frequency content of EQs should be considered for the evaluation. Dependently, the frequency and energy contents of the Istanbul Earthquake are evaluated to discuss the possible reasons for the perceived effects and the damages. It is concluded that the EQ caused resonance effects on a variety of structures because of its complex frequency content as well as rather low building quality.