Reviewed by USGSHungary71y ago
M5.8 earthquake 3 km W of Ecser, Hungary
Thursday, January 12, 1956, 05:46:13 UTC · 47.443°N, 19.282°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 3 km W of Ecser, Hungary on Thursday, January 12, 1956, 05:46:13 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.9 on March 27, 1938.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
7 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 15 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
690 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North American and Pacific 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 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 12 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 5.97 km ESE of Legrad, CroatiaMarch 27, 1938 · 220 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.86 km NW of Fábiánsebestyén, HungaryJuly 8, 1911 · 117 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.65 km SW of Brezová pod Bradlom, SlovakiaJanuary 9, 1906 · 188 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.50 km WSW of Ternitz, AustriaSeptember 18, 1939 · 246 km W of this epicenter
- 5.5Austria-Hungary border regionOctober 8, 1927 · 216 km W of this epicenter
- 5.43 km SSE of Bromberg, AustriaNovember 8, 1938 · 230 km W of this epicenter
- 5.410 km NE of Mürzsteg, AustriaJuly 25, 1927 · 280 km W of this epicenter
- 5.38 km SE of Lipik, CroatiaOctober 21, 1935 · 280 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 85 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1763M6.2
Gyor; Czechoslovakia: Komarom
28 Jun 1763 · 86 km away · intensity IX
83 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1956M5.8
Hungary
12 Jan 1956 · 6 km away
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1834M6.8
Pishkol'T, Erendreyd, Dengeleg
15 Oct 1834 · 227 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1738M5.1
Croatia: Medimurje
30 Mar 1738 · 246 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1858
Zilina
15 Jan 1858 · 199 km away · intensity IX
Under $1 million damage
- 1740
Serbia
12 Nov 1740 · 264 km away · intensity X
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.