Reviewed by USGSKosovo49y ago
M5.7 earthquake 20 km NNE of Leposaviq, Kosovo
Thursday, April 13, 1978, 18:05:25 UTC · 43.269°N, 20.919°E
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 20 km NNE of Leposaviq, Kosovo on Thursday, April 13, 1978, 18:05:25 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.8 on August 19, 1970.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Moderate · ms
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
5 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
447 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
33 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 M4.1 on April 16, 1978. 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 106 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.07 km SE of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 254 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.86 km W of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 242 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.76 km NW of Lukovo, North MacedoniaNovember 30, 1967 · 212 km S of this epicenter
- 6.73 km SW of Kuklis, North MacedoniaMarch 8, 1931 · 253 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.617 km NNW of Bilisht, AlbaniaFebruary 18, 1911 · 278 km S of this epicenter
- 6.59 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroJune 1, 1905 · 189 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.211 km SSW of Maliq, AlbaniaMay 26, 1960 · 296 km S of this epicenter
- 6.24 km ESE of Rrëshen, AlbaniaAugust 4, 1905 · 188 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 38 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,363 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1963M6.0
Macedonia: Skopje
26 Jul 1963 · 134 km away · intensity X
1,070 deaths$1.0 billion damage
- 1905M6.6
Shkoder
1 Jun 1905 · 169 km away · intensity X
120 deaths$24 million damage
- 1931M5.8
Korce
28 Jan 1931 · 297 km away · intensity IX
90 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1942M6.0
Peshkopia, Magellare
27 Aug 1942 · 180 km away · intensity X
43 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1967M6.5
Albania
30 Nov 1967 · 200 km away · intensity X
18 deaths$20 million damage
- 1962M6.0
Albania
18 Mar 1962 · 288 km away
15 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.