The earthquake had an estimated magnitude in the range of 7.1–7.2 on the moment magnitude scale, according to the International Seismological Centre.

The epicenter of the quake was approximately 100 km (62 mi) to the east of the extremely destructive 1999 İzmit earthquake that happened a few months earlier.

Both strike-slip earthquakes were caused by movement on the North Anatolian Fault.

Düzce and surrounding areas had already been quite badly affected by the İzmit earthquake a few months earlier so that many buildings were already in a weakened state when the November earthquake struck.

The number of fatalities in Düzce is recorded as 478, with an additional 313 in the town of Kaynaşlı and 48 in the city of Bolu.

A significant number of deaths were attributed to the presence of traditional heaters causing fires and related smoke effects, particularly in Kaynaşlı.

Following criticism of their response to the İzmit earthquake, the Turkish government reacted quickly to the November earthquake, with the rapid deployment of military personnel, police, and medical teams to the area.

Field hospitals were provided by teams from Russia, Japan, and Egypt. Search and rescue teams were sent from many countries including Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, United Kingdom, United States, Greece, Germany, Russia, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Algeria, Sweden, and Switzerland.

An estimated 2,000 rescuers were present, including 150 search dogs.

Many of those made homeless by the earthquake were temporarily placed in encampments, but this was problematic as the weather was generally wet and temperatures at night were at or near freezing and many of the tents were not "winterized".

A year after the earthquake, about 7,500 people were still living in tents with about 30,000 accommodated in prefabricated houses. (ILKHA)