Reviewed by USGSGreece74y ago
M6.5 earthquake 46 km SSE of Kastrí, Greece
Wednesday, December 17, 1952, 23:04:02 UTC · 34.474°N, 24.346°E
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 46 km SSE of Kastrí, Greece on Wednesday, December 17, 1952, 23:04:02 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on February 9, 1948.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 25 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (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
85 kilotons of TNT
That is about 6 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 178 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
4 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
25 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 100 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.9Southern GreeceAugust 11, 1903 · 209 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.315 km NNW of Karpathos, GreeceFebruary 9, 1948 · 287 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.439 km SSW of Tympáki, GreeceJuly 24, 1948 · 38 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.452 km SSE of Fry, GreeceAugust 11, 1922 · 263 km E of this epicenter
- 6.329 km SSW of Asopós, GreeceJuly 1, 1927 · 268 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.329 km SW of Kíssamos, GreeceAugust 30, 1947 · 131 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.35 km NNW of Géfyra, GreeceAugust 30, 1926 · 279 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.216 km S of Néa Anatolí, GreeceFebruary 29, 1940 · 125 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,602 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1810
Crete: Iraklion (Candia)
16 Feb 1810 · 129 km away · intensity X
3,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1750
Morea,Cerigo
7 Jun 1750 · 227 km away · intensity X
2,000 deaths
- 1856
Crete; Egypt
12 Oct 1856 · 189 km away · intensity XI
600 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1903M7.8
Mitata (Kythera)
11 Aug 1903 · 209 km away · intensity XI
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1948M7.3
Dodecanese Islands
9 Feb 1948 · 287 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1866M6.8
Ionian Sea, Amalias, Gargalianoi, Kalamai
6 Feb 1866 · 209 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.