Reviewed by USGSGreece117y ago
M5.6 earthquake 12 km S of Ierápetra, Greece
Sunday, August 21, 1910, 16:11:29 UTC · 34.902°N, 25.717°E
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 12 km S of Ierápetra, Greece on Sunday, August 21, 1910, 16:11:29 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.8 on February 18, 1910.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/5 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 7 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
73 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Aegean Sea and African plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 7 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.9Southern GreeceAugust 11, 1903 · 275 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.125 km NW of Kastrí, GreeceMay 17, 1908 · 167 km W of this epicenter
- 5.832 km N of Agía Marína, GreeceFebruary 18, 1910 · 186 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.59 km NNW of Amorgós, GreeceJune 23, 1908 · 224 km N of this epicenter
- 5.511 km ESE of Kímolos, GreeceJune 23, 1908 · 227 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.520 km WSW of Mílos, GreeceJune 23, 1908 · 237 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.358 km S of Tympáki, GreeceJune 17, 1906 · 104 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,902 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1810
Crete: Iraklion (Candia)
16 Feb 1810 · 93 km away · intensity X
3,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1750
Morea,Cerigo
7 Jun 1750 · 285 km away · intensity X
2,000 deaths
- 1856
Crete; Egypt
12 Oct 1856 · 71 km away · intensity XI
600 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1863M7.8
Rhodes, Kos
22 Apr 1863 · 272 km away · intensity XI
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1903M7.8
Mitata (Kythera)
11 Aug 1903 · 275 km away · intensity XI
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1741M7.3
Dodecanese; Crete; Cyprus; Egypt
31 Jan 1741 · 290 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.