QuakeScout
Magnitude6.0

Reviewed by USGSNorth Macedonia107y ago

M6.0 earthquake 1 km NNW of Mislesevo, North Macedonia

Saturday, December 18, 1920, 02:01:36 UTC · 41.197°N, 20.704°E

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 1 km NNW of Mislesevo, North Macedonia on Saturday, December 18, 1920, 02:01:36 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

13 kilotons of TNT

That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 28 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

302 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 40 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.07 km SE of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 221 km E of this epicenter
  2. 6.86 km W of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 211 km E of this epicenter
  3. 6.617 km NNW of Bilisht, AlbaniaFebruary 18, 1911 · 51 km S of this epicenter
  4. 6.59 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroJune 1, 1905 · 157 km NW of this epicenter
  5. 6.334 km NW of Itháki, GreeceAugust 10, 1915 · 294 km S of this epicenter
  6. 6.326 km NNW of Itháki, GreeceNovember 27, 1914 · 291 km S of this epicenter
  7. 6.24 km ESE of Rrëshen, AlbaniaAugust 4, 1905 · 89 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 6.23 km SE of Tepelenë, AlbaniaNovember 26, 1920 · 117 km SW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 64 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,256 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1851M6.6

    Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey

    12 Oct 1851 · 115 km away · intensity XI

    2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

  2. 1851

    Berat

    17 Oct 1851 · 115 km away · intensity X

    400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  3. 1920M6.2

    Tepelene, Dragoti, Peshtani, Maricaj

    26 Nov 1920 · 126 km away · intensity XI

    200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  4. 1905M6.6

    Shkoder

    1 Jun 1905 · 136 km away · intensity X

    120 deaths$24 million damage

  5. 1786

    Corfu (Kerkira)

    5 Feb 1786 · 183 km away

    120 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  6. 1895M6.3

    Margarition-Filiates (Thesprotia)

    13 May 1895 · 189 km away · intensity X

    80 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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