Reviewed by USGSGreece79y ago
M6.4 earthquake 19 km WNW of Préveza, Greece
Wednesday, June 30, 1948, 12:21:18 UTC · 38.998°N, 20.532°E
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 19 km WNW of Préveza, Greece on Wednesday, June 30, 1948, 12:21:18 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.6 on April 22, 1948.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- 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
64 kilotons of TNT
That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 135 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
59 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Aegean Sea and Eurasian 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 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 170 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.34 km WNW of Koróni, GreeceOctober 6, 1947 · 272 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.635 km NW of Itháki, GreeceApril 22, 1948 · 47 km S of this epicenter
- 6.617 km NNW of Bilisht, AlbaniaFebruary 18, 1911 · 199 km N of this epicenter
- 6.56 km N of Tríkeri, GreeceJanuary 20, 1905 · 221 km E of this epicenter
- 6.532 km NNW of Lixoúri, GreeceAugust 7, 1915 · 59 km S of this epicenter
- 6.521 km SW of Lixoúri, GreeceJanuary 27, 1915 · 107 km S of this epicenter
- 6.411 km W of Kyllíni, GreeceJanuary 24, 1912 · 126 km S of this epicenter
- 6.418 km S of Pefkochóri, GreeceDecember 5, 1923 · 278 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 112 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,447 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1851M6.6
Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey
12 Oct 1851 · 182 km away · intensity XI
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 182 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1820M6.9
Zakinthos (Zante)
29 Dec 1820 · 152 km away · intensity X
388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1886M6.8
Triphylie (Peleponese), Philiatra
27 Aug 1886 · 235 km away · intensity X
326 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1767M6.7
Kefalonia
11 Jul 1767 · 81 km away · intensity X
303 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1894M6.7
Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris)
20 Apr 1894 · 235 km away · intensity X
255 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.