Reviewed by USGSGreece99y ago
M5.4 earthquake 4 km WNW of Mégara, Greece
Wednesday, April 25, 1928, 00:31:23 UTC · 38.012°N, 23.296°E
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 4 km WNW of Mégara, Greece on Wednesday, April 25, 1928, 00:31:23 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on April 22, 1928.
- Magnitude
- 5.4
- 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
2 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/8 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
57 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.5 on April 29, 1928. 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 69 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.9Southern GreeceAugust 11, 1903 · 225 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2Aegean SeaNovember 8, 1905 · 258 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.56 km N of Tríkeri, GreeceJanuary 20, 1905 · 129 km N of this epicenter
- 6.532 km NNW of Lixoúri, GreeceAugust 7, 1915 · 262 km W of this epicenter
- 6.521 km SW of Lixoúri, GreeceJanuary 27, 1915 · 266 km W of this epicenter
- 6.411 km W of Kyllíni, GreeceJanuary 24, 1912 · 200 km W of this epicenter
- 6.418 km S of Pefkochóri, GreeceDecember 5, 1923 · 203 km N of this epicenter
- 6.334 km NW of Itháki, GreeceAugust 10, 1915 · 259 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 95 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 27,891 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1883M7.3
Ayvalik, Izmir, Cesme
15 Oct 1883 · 256 km away · intensity X
15,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1881M7.3
Khios; Turkey: Cesme
3 Apr 1881 · 260 km away · intensity XI
7,866 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1750
Morea,Cerigo
7 Jun 1750 · 203 km away · intensity X
2,000 deaths
- 1867M7.0
Mitilini; Turkey: Izmir
7 Mar 1867 · 300 km away
563 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1820M6.9
Zakinthos (Zante)
29 Dec 1820 · 182 km away · intensity X
388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1886M6.8
Triphylie (Peleponese), Philiatra
27 Aug 1886 · 173 km away · intensity X
326 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.