Reviewed by USGSGreece79y ago
M7.3 earthquake 15 km NNW of Karpathos, Greece
Monday, February 9, 1948, 12:58:18 UTC · 35.640°N, 27.158°E
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 15 km NNW of Karpathos, Greece on Monday, February 9, 1948, 12:58:18 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Major · 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: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.3 megatons of TNT
That is about 89 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,818 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
113 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Aegean Sea 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 200 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 on February 10, 1948. 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 115 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.05 km NNW of Kéfalos, GreeceJune 26, 1926 · 130 km N of this epicenter
- 6.815 km SSW of Kaş, TurkeyMarch 18, 1926 · 225 km E of this epicenter
- 6.733 km SE of Karpathos, GreeceAugust 13, 1922 · 47 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.414 km E of Kardámaina, GreeceApril 23, 1933 · 125 km N of this epicenter
- 6.4TurkeyMarch 31, 1928 · 295 km N of this epicenter
- 6.452 km SSE of Fry, GreeceAugust 11, 1922 · 72 km S of this epicenter
- 6.216 km S of Néa Anatolí, GreeceFebruary 29, 1940 · 163 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.266 km SSW of Folégandros, GreeceFebruary 25, 1935 · 221 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 28 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,375 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1810
Crete: Iraklion (Candia)
16 Feb 1810 · 196 km away · intensity X
3,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1899M6.7
Sultanhisar,Atca,Nazilli,Kuyucak,Denizli
20 Sep 1899 · 295 km away · intensity IX
1,117 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1856
Crete; Egypt
12 Oct 1856 · 106 km away · intensity XI
600 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1863M7.8
Rhodes, Kos
22 Apr 1863 · 122 km away · intensity XI
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1933M6.4
Dodecanese Islands
23 Apr 1933 · 125 km away · intensity X
181 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1928M6.5
Tepekoy, Torbali
31 Mar 1928 · 274 km away · intensity IX
170 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.