Reviewed by USGSNorth Macedonia107y ago
M6.0 earthquake 6 km SSE of Gurgurnica, North Macedonia
Wednesday, March 30, 1921, 15:06:00 UTC · 41.798°N, 21.141°E
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 6 km SSE of Gurgurnica, North Macedonia on Wednesday, March 30, 1921, 15:06:00 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on November 26, 1920.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- 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
14 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 30 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
315 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Aegean Sea and Eurasian 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 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 37 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.07 km SE of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 175 km E of this epicenter
- 6.86 km W of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 163 km E of this epicenter
- 6.617 km NNW of Bilisht, AlbaniaFebruary 18, 1911 · 117 km S of this epicenter
- 6.59 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroJune 1, 1905 · 160 km W of this epicenter
- 6.24 km ESE of Rrëshen, AlbaniaAugust 4, 1905 · 101 km W of this epicenter
- 6.23 km SE of Tepelenë, AlbaniaNovember 26, 1920 · 193 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.115 km NE of Bobov Dol, BulgariaOctober 8, 1905 · 181 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.124 km SSW of Nestório, GreeceDecember 22, 1919 · 177 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 51 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,060 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1851M6.6
Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey
12 Oct 1851 · 188 km away · intensity XI
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 188 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1920M6.2
Tepelene, Dragoti, Peshtani, Maricaj
26 Nov 1920 · 202 km away · intensity XI
200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1905M6.6
Shkoder
1 Jun 1905 · 132 km away · intensity X
120 deaths$24 million damage
- 1786
Corfu (Kerkira)
5 Feb 1786 · 259 km away
120 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1895M6.3
Margarition-Filiates (Thesprotia)
13 May 1895 · 261 km away · intensity X
80 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.