Reviewed by USGSGreece44y ago
M3.6 earthquake 23 km WSW of Lithakiá, Greece
Monday, February 14, 1983, 23:14:40 UTC · 37.621°N, 20.591°E
A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck 23 km WSW of Lithakiá, Greece on Monday, February 14, 1983, 23:14:40 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.6
- Minor · ml
- Depth
- 10 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
4 tons of TNT
That is about 1/3,975 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 126 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
14 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Aegean Sea and African plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 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 50 km
USGS lists 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on February 16, 1983. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 3.89 km ESE of Ambelókipoi, Greece44y ago · 34 km E of this epicenter
- 4.25 km NE of Zakynthos, Greece44y ago · 38 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.23 km SE of Katastárion, Greece44y ago · 27 km NE of this epicenter
- 3.64 km NE of Gaïtánion, Greece44y ago · 36 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.747 km SSW of Lixoúri, Greece44y ago · 44 km NW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 360 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.9Southern GreeceAugust 11, 1903 · 280 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.34 km WNW of Koróni, GreeceOctober 6, 1947 · 148 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.026 km SW of Lixoúri, GreeceJanuary 17, 1983 · 55 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.815 km ENE of Póros, GreeceAugust 12, 1953 · 70 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SW of Galaxídhion, GreeceMarch 31, 1965 · 172 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7Ionian SeaNovember 15, 1959 · 25 km N of this epicenter
- 6.75 km SW of Domvraína, GreeceFebruary 24, 1981 · 216 km E of this epicenter
- 6.77 km NE of Anávra, GreeceApril 30, 1954 · 225 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 132 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,493 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1750
Morea,Cerigo
7 Jun 1750 · 266 km away · intensity X
2,000 deaths
- 1953M7.2
Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia)
12 Aug 1953 · 78 km away · intensity X
476 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1820M6.9
Zakinthos (Zante)
29 Dec 1820 · 60 km away · intensity X
388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1886M6.8
Triphylie (Peleponese), Philiatra
27 Aug 1886 · 114 km away · intensity X
326 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1767M6.7
Kefalonia
11 Jul 1767 · 73 km away · intensity X
303 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1894M6.7
Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris)
20 Apr 1894 · 253 km away · intensity X
255 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.