Reviewed by USGSGreece113y ago
M6.2 earthquake 1 km SW of Avlónas, Greece
Saturday, October 17, 1914, 06:22:31 UTC · 38.241°N, 23.685°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 1 km SW of Avlónas, Greece on Saturday, October 17, 1914, 06:22:31 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.4 on January 24, 1912.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · 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: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
33 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 70 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
75 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.7 on October 17, 1914. 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 14 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.9Southern GreeceAugust 11, 1903 · 256 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2Aegean SeaNovember 8, 1905 · 221 km N of this epicenter
- 6.56 km N of Tríkeri, GreeceJanuary 20, 1905 · 114 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.411 km W of Kyllíni, GreeceJanuary 24, 1912 · 236 km W of this epicenter
- 6.129 km ENE of Mesariá, GreeceApril 4, 1911 · 263 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.021 km NNE of Karaburun, TurkeyJanuary 19, 1909 · 260 km E of this epicenter
- 5.912 km S of Káto Mazaráki, GreeceJuly 15, 1909 · 183 km W of this epicenter
- 5.832 km N of Agía Marína, GreeceFebruary 18, 1910 · 272 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 94 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 27,839 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1883M7.3
Ayvalik, Izmir, Cesme
15 Oct 1883 · 220 km away · intensity X
15,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1881M7.3
Khios; Turkey: Cesme
3 Apr 1881 · 224 km away · intensity XI
7,866 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1750
Morea,Cerigo
7 Jun 1750 · 235 km away · intensity X
2,000 deaths
- 1867M7.0
Mitilini; Turkey: Izmir
7 Mar 1867 · 259 km away
563 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1820M6.9
Zakinthos (Zante)
29 Dec 1820 · 220 km away · intensity X
388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1886M6.8
Triphylie (Peleponese), Philiatra
27 Aug 1886 · 216 km away · intensity X
326 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.