Reviewed by USGSGreece95y ago
M5.9 earthquake 7 km NE of Galátista, Greece
Wednesday, September 28, 1932, 16:52:10 UTC · 40.522°N, 23.340°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 7 km NE of Galátista, Greece on Wednesday, September 28, 1932, 16:52:10 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on September 26, 1932.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 10 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
10 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 20 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
87 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
10 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on September 29, 1932. 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 91 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.2Aegean SeaNovember 8, 1905 · 119 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.19 km S of Stara Zagora, BulgariaApril 14, 1928 · 280 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.13 km W of Brezovo, BulgariaApril 18, 1928 · 248 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.07 km SE of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 138 km N of this epicenter
- 6.97 km NNE of Ágios Nikólaos, GreeceSeptember 26, 1932 · 41 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.86 km W of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 144 km N of this epicenter
- 6.73 km SW of Kuklis, North MacedoniaMarch 8, 1931 · 112 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.617 km NNW of Bilisht, AlbaniaFebruary 18, 1911 · 208 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 79 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,100 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1867M7.0
Mitilini; Turkey: Izmir
7 Mar 1867 · 300 km away
563 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1894M6.7
Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris)
20 Apr 1894 · 214 km away · intensity X
255 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1920M6.2
Tepelene, Dragoti, Peshtani, Maricaj
26 Nov 1920 · 285 km away · intensity XI
200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1932M6.9
Hierissos-Strantonion (Chalkidiki)
26 Sep 1932 · 47 km away · intensity X
161 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1817M6.6
Achaia: Aeghion
23 Aug 1817 · 269 km away · intensity X
128 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1928M6.8
Chirpan
14 Apr 1928 · 248 km away · intensity X
127 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.