Earthquake magnitude types: ML, Mw and why sources give different numbers
AFAD may report one number for an earthquake and USGS another. Agencies calculate magnitude with different methods and different station networks, and they revise the first solution later. Query shows each value with its own source and magnitude type and never averages them.
Magnitude types
The abbreviation next to the magnitude tells you how it was calculated. These are the ones in Query's sources:
| Abbreviation | Name | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| ML | Local magnitude (often called Richter) | AFAD, earthquakes below 4 |
| Mw | Moment magnitude | AFAD, earthquakes of 4 and above |
| MD | Duration magnitude | Kandilli has a column for it |
| mb | Body-wave magnitude | USGS, distant moderate earthquakes |
| mww | W-phase moment magnitude | USGS |
In the latest 1,000 AFAD records we examined on 11 November 2026, every earthquake below 4 was given as ML and every one of 4 or above as Mw. AFAD does not document this threshold; we are going by the records we saw.
Why agencies give different numbers
There are three reasons. The magnitude type can differ, and ML and Mw can come out differently for the same earthquake. Agencies use different station networks. The first solution is published within minutes and later updated with more data.
Example: for the earthquake in Kozan (Adana) on 9 November 2026, AFAD reported Mw 4.6, Kandilli ML 4.6 and Mw 4.6, and USGS mww 4.7.
We compared 97 earthquakes recorded by both AFAD and Kandilli on 10 and 11 November 2026. The largest magnitude difference was 0.5 and the average stayed below 0.1. The median distance between their epicentres was 5.2 km. This is a two-day sample, not a general rule.
Magnitude is not intensity
Magnitude is a single number for the energy released at the source. Intensity describes how strongly the shaking was felt at a given place and what it did to buildings, so it varies from place to place. Query's sources do not provide intensity, so Query always says magnitude.
Depth and location
In 287 of AFAD's 1,000 records the depth was exactly 7 km. This is most likely a default rather than a calculated value; AFAD does not say so in its documentation. That is why Query shows depth as approximate.
For earthquakes at sea, AFAD also names the nearest district, as in "Akdeniz - [253 km] Datça (Muğla)". That earthquake did not happen in Datça. Query keeps sea and foreign earthquakes off province pages and shows the location text as given.
What Query shows
- AFAD is the primary source and is read every minute.
- USGS records of 4.5 and above appear on their own line, with their own name and magnitude type.
- Kandilli Observatory data cannot be used commercially without written permission. Query will carry ads, so it does not show Kandilli data and links to its list instead.
- A new earthquake is shown with the note "first solution, may change".
- No forecasts, risk comments or damage reports. For official information see AFAD.
Recent earthquakes are on the earthquakes page.
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