According to the Volcanoes Discovery website, the earthquake occurred at 10:59 UTC (11:59 GMT). The depth of the quake was 10 kilometres, or about 6 miles.
The EMSC reported that the tremor took place 64 kilometres west of Istanbul and 36 kilometres south-west of Büyükçekmece, 24 kilometres south of Silivri. According to the EMSC, the depth of the quake was 12 kilometres, or 7 miles.
Eight people were slightly injured in the Istanbul earthquake and some buildings were damaged, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
"The strong earthquake in Istanbul, fortunately, has not led to serious consequences", he said.
Social media users have posted videos of the tremor online.
One man was captured on video taking out only what was most important... his cup of tea.
Netizens have also shared a map of safe houses and shelters in case of an earthquake occurring in Istanbul.
Reports say that some schools and companies in Istanbul were evacuated for safety reasons.
Turkey is located in a seismically active zone and often suffers from powerful earthquakes. The latest tremor with a 5.8 magnitude occurred in the country in August, reportedly leaving no injuries.