Reviewed by USGSGreece79y ago
M5.6 earthquake 27 km SE of Karpathos, Greece
Tuesday, February 10, 1948, 15:58:54 UTC · 35.360°N, 27.463°E
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 27 km SE of Karpathos, Greece on Tuesday, February 10, 1948, 15:58:54 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on February 9, 1948.
- 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
4 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 9 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
73 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
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 lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 on February 12, 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 113 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.315 km NNW of Karpathos, GreeceFebruary 9, 1948 · 42 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.05 km NNW of Kéfalos, GreeceJune 26, 1926 · 166 km N of this epicenter
- 6.815 km SSW of Kaş, TurkeyMarch 18, 1926 · 208 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.733 km SE of Karpathos, GreeceAugust 13, 1922 · 6 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.414 km E of Kardámaina, GreeceApril 23, 1933 · 156 km N of this epicenter
- 6.452 km SSE of Fry, GreeceAugust 11, 1922 · 50 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.216 km S of Néa Anatolí, GreeceFebruary 29, 1940 · 176 km W of this epicenter
- 6.266 km SSW of Folégandros, GreeceFebruary 25, 1935 · 256 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 23 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,088 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1810
Crete: Iraklion (Candia)
16 Feb 1810 · 224 km away · intensity X
3,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1856
Crete; Egypt
12 Oct 1856 · 133 km away · intensity XI
600 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1863M7.8
Rhodes, Kos
22 Apr 1863 · 136 km away · intensity XI
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1933M6.4
Dodecanese Islands
23 Apr 1933 · 156 km away · intensity X
181 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1904M6.1
Samos, Patmos
11 Aug 1904 · 269 km away · intensity X
4 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1869M7.5
Gulf Of Keramos, Mentese
1 Dec 1869 · 189 km away · intensity X
3 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.