QuakeScout
Magnitude5.6

Reviewed by USGSGreece67y ago

M5.6 earthquake 47 km W of Katastárion, Greece

Tuesday, December 1, 1959, 12:38:49 UTC · 37.799°N, 20.217°E

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 47 km W of Katastárion, Greece on Tuesday, December 1, 1959, 12:38:49 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on November 15, 1959.

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

4 kilotons of TNT

That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 9 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

3 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian 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 231 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.34 km WNW of Koróni, GreeceOctober 6, 1947 · 186 km SE of this epicenter
  2. 6.815 km ENE of Póros, GreeceAugust 12, 1953 · 76 km NE of this epicenter
  3. 6.7Ionian SeaNovember 15, 1959 · 31 km E of this epicenter
  4. 6.77 km NE of Anávra, GreeceApril 30, 1954 · 232 km NE of this epicenter
  5. 6.635 km NW of Itháki, GreeceApril 22, 1948 · 89 km N of this epicenter
  6. 6.513 km ESE of Itháki, GreeceAugust 11, 1953 · 78 km NE of this epicenter
  7. 6.56 km N of Tríkeri, GreeceJanuary 20, 1905 · 292 km NE of this epicenter
  8. 6.532 km NNW of Lixoúri, GreeceAugust 7, 1915 · 77 km N of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 111 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,531 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1953M7.2

    Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia)

    12 Aug 1953 · 76 km away · intensity X

    476 deaths$100 million damagetsunami

  2. 1820M6.9

    Zakinthos (Zante)

    29 Dec 1820 · 91 km away · intensity X

    388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  3. 1886M6.8

    Triphylie (Peleponese), Philiatra

    27 Aug 1886 · 152 km away · intensity X

    326 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  4. 1767M6.7

    Kefalonia

    11 Jul 1767 · 56 km away · intensity X

    303 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  5. 1894M6.7

    Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris)

    20 Apr 1894 · 275 km away · intensity X

    255 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  6. 1867M7.2

    Cephalonia

    4 Feb 1867 · 52 km away · intensity X

    223 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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