Deformation from is accommodated through three main faults: the eastern portion of the Hellenic Trench accommodates convergence between the Aegean Sea plate and the Anatolian plate in the south, the North Anatolian Fault in the north accommodates the collision between the Arabian plate and the Eurasian plate which forces the Anatolian west, and the East Anatolian Fault in the east, on which this earthquake occurred, accommodates the same deformation.

The Mw 6.1 earthquake struck near the city of Malatya, Turkey at 06:35 TRT on May 5.

The amount of aftershocks that occurred were small, but a noteworthy Mw 5.8 earthquake rocked the same area only a month later.

The mainshock occurred along a section of the East Anatolian Fault which meets the Bitlis Thrust Zone.

The worst hit town was Doğanşehir, where 13 people were killed and 100 houses collapsed.