Reviewed by USGSGreece79y ago
M5.5 earthquake 24 km E of Karpathos, Greece
Sunday, February 15, 1948, 17:54:58 UTC · 35.471°N, 27.475°E
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 24 km E of Karpathos, Greece on Sunday, February 15, 1948, 17:54:58 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on February 12, 1948.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- 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
2 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/7 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 5 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
83 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 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 116 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 · 34 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.05 km NNW of Kéfalos, GreeceJune 26, 1926 · 155 km N of this epicenter
- 6.815 km SSW of Kaş, TurkeyMarch 18, 1926 · 202 km E of this epicenter
- 6.733 km SE of Karpathos, GreeceAugust 13, 1922 · 16 km S of this epicenter
- 6.414 km E of Kardámaina, GreeceApril 23, 1933 · 144 km N of this epicenter
- 6.452 km SSE of Fry, GreeceAugust 11, 1922 · 61 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.216 km S of Néa Anatolí, GreeceFebruary 29, 1940 · 181 km W of this epicenter
- 6.266 km SSW of Folégandros, GreeceFebruary 25, 1935 · 254 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 26 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 · 224 km away · intensity X
3,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1899M6.7
Sultanhisar,Atca,Nazilli,Kuyucak,Denizli
20 Sep 1899 · 299 km away · intensity IX
1,117 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1856
Crete; Egypt
12 Oct 1856 · 134 km away · intensity XI
600 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1863M7.8
Rhodes, Kos
22 Apr 1863 · 124 km away · intensity XI
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1933M6.4
Dodecanese Islands
23 Apr 1933 · 144 km away · intensity X
181 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1928M6.5
Tepekoy, Torbali
31 Mar 1928 · 292 km away · intensity IX
170 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.