Reviewed by USGSGreece112y ago
M5.9 earthquake 14 km NW of Sámi, Greece
Tuesday, August 10, 1915, 00:48:02 UTC · 38.353°N, 20.545°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 14 km NW of Sámi, Greece on Tuesday, August 10, 1915, 00:48:02 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.5 on August 7, 1915.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
12 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 25 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
12 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 75 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on August 10, 1915. 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 17 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.617 km NNW of Bilisht, AlbaniaFebruary 18, 1911 · 270 km N of this epicenter
- 6.56 km N of Tríkeri, GreeceJanuary 20, 1905 · 238 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.532 km NNW of Lixoúri, GreeceAugust 7, 1915 · 22 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.521 km SW of Lixoúri, GreeceJanuary 27, 1915 · 41 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.411 km W of Kyllíni, GreeceJanuary 24, 1912 · 63 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.326 km NNW of Itháki, GreeceNovember 27, 1914 · 26 km N of this epicenter
- 6.21 km SW of Avlónas, GreeceOctober 17, 1914 · 274 km E of this epicenter
- 6.02 km ESE of Kerasochóri, GreeceJune 4, 1915 · 121 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 89 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,136 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1851M6.6
Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey
12 Oct 1851 · 250 km away · intensity XI
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 250 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1820M6.9
Zakinthos (Zante)
29 Dec 1820 · 91 km away · intensity X
388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1886M6.8
Triphylie (Peleponese), Philiatra
27 Aug 1886 · 172 km away · intensity X
326 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1767M6.7
Kefalonia
11 Jul 1767 · 12 km away · intensity X
303 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1894M6.7
Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris)
20 Apr 1894 · 233 km away · intensity X
255 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.