Reviewed by USGSGreece12y ago
M4.5 earthquake 29 km SSE of Karyes, Greece
Sunday, May 25, 2014, 00:08:00 UTC · 40.000°N, 24.340°E
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 29 km SSE of Karyes, Greece on Sunday, May 25, 2014, 00:08:00 UTC, at a depth of 11.0 km (shallow). USGS received 3 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.5 on May 24, 2014.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mwr
- Depth
- 11 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 3
- Max intensity IV
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
85 tons of TNT
That is about 1/178 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 6 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
1 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
11 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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Măgliž, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria | IV · Light | 1 | 306 km |
| Sopište, Skopje, Macedonia | II · Weak | 1 | 329 km |
| Stratónion, Halkidikí, Greece | II · Weak | 1 | 73 km |
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 50 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on May 29, 2014. 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 364 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.37 km N of Gönen, TurkeyMarch 18, 1953 · 282 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2Aegean SeaNovember 8, 1905 · 26 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.225 km SE of Malkara, TurkeyAugust 9, 1912 · 249 km E of this epicenter
- 7.261 km W of Eresós, GreeceDecember 19, 1981 · 113 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.29 km NNW of Karaburun, TurkeyJuly 23, 1949 · 233 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.19 km S of Stara Zagora, BulgariaApril 14, 1928 · 283 km N of this epicenter
- 7.13 km W of Brezovo, BulgariaApril 18, 1928 · 268 km N of this epicenter
- 7.07 km SE of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 216 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 119 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 28,866 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1883M7.3
Ayvalik, Izmir, Cesme
15 Oct 1883 · 248 km away · intensity X
15,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1881M7.3
Khios; Turkey: Cesme
3 Apr 1881 · 255 km away · intensity XI
7,866 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1912M7.2
Marmara Sea
9 Aug 1912 · 249 km away
2,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1953M7.3
Yenice, Onon
18 Mar 1953 · 282 km away
1,070 deaths$4 million damage
- 1867M7.0
Mitilini; Turkey: Izmir
7 Mar 1867 · 198 km away
563 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1894M6.7
Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris)
20 Apr 1894 · 184 km away · intensity X
255 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.