Reviewed by USGS65y ago
M6.2 earthquake in Croatia
Sunday, January 7, 1962, 10:03:13 UTC · 43.247°N, 17.019°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck in Croatia on Sunday, January 7, 1962, 10:03:13 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on December 29, 1942.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
26 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 55 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
457 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and African plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.2 on January 11, 1962. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 59 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.63 km SSW of Bisaccia Nuova, ItalyJuly 23, 1930 · 288 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.59 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroJune 1, 1905 · 223 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.24 km ESE of Rrëshen, AlbaniaAugust 4, 1905 · 291 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.22 km SE of Grabovci, CroatiaDecember 29, 1942 · 31 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.1Bosnia and HerzegovinaMarch 15, 1923 · 44 km E of this epicenter
- 6.011 km NW of Bileća, Bosnia and HerzegovinaFebruary 14, 1927 · 111 km E of this epicenter
- 6.028 km NNE of Montignano-Marzocca, ItalyOctober 30, 1930 · 294 km W of this epicenter
- 6.011 km S of Čačak, SerbiaMarch 24, 1922 · 276 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 39 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 14,429 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1805
Molise, Rosolone, Napoli (Naples), Isernia
26 Jul 1805 · 297 km away · intensity XI
5,600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1731M6.3
Foggia
20 Mar 1731 · 231 km away · intensity X
3,600 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1732
Ariano, Lucanie, Avellino
29 Nov 1732 · 286 km away · intensity X
1,940 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1930M6.5
Irpinia
23 Jul 1930 · 273 km away · intensity X
1,430 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1706
Sulmona To Campobasso, Abruzzi
3 Nov 1706 · 270 km away · intensity X
1,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1851
Melfi, Rapolla, Barile, Rionero, Mt Vulture
14 Aug 1851 · 272 km away · intensity XI
671 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.