Reviewed by USGSGreece23y ago
M2.9 earthquake 14 km WSW of Karpenísi, Greece
Saturday, December 6, 2003, 04:54:56 UTC · 38.860°N, 21.640°E
A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck 14 km WSW of Karpenísi, Greece on Saturday, December 6, 2003, 04:54:56 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 2.9
- Minor · md
- 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
338 kg of TNT
That is about 1/44,601 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 1,413 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
49 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 50 km
USGS lists 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M3.2 on December 17, 2003. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 3.121 km SSW of Spercheiáda, Greece23y ago · 40 km SE of this epicenter
- 2.99 km N of Lepenoú, Greece23y ago · 31 km W of this epicenter
- 2.94 km SE of Stános, Greece23y ago · 37 km W of this epicenter
- 3.212 km N of Thérmo, Greece23y ago · 19 km S of this epicenter
- 3.14 km SW of Pappadhátai, Greece23y ago · 44 km SW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 561 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.34 km WNW of Koróni, GreeceOctober 6, 1947 · 229 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2Aegean SeaNovember 8, 1905 · 291 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.026 km SW of Lixoúri, GreeceJanuary 17, 1983 · 154 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.055 km S of Mýrina, GreeceFebruary 19, 1968 · 293 km E of this epicenter
- 6.97 km NNE of Ágios Nikólaos, GreeceSeptember 26, 1932 · 242 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.815 km ENE of Póros, GreeceAugust 12, 1953 · 97 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SW of Galaxídhion, GreeceMarch 31, 1965 · 83 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.828 km SSE of Karyes, GreeceJanuary 18, 1982 · 263 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 179 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 6,577 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1851M6.6
Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey
12 Oct 1851 · 247 km away · intensity XI
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1953M7.2
Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia)
12 Aug 1953 · 96 km away · intensity X
476 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 247 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1820M6.9
Zakinthos (Zante)
29 Dec 1820 · 128 km away · intensity X
388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1886M6.8
Triphylie (Peleponese), Philiatra
27 Aug 1886 · 196 km away · intensity X
326 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1767M6.7
Kefalonia
11 Jul 1767 · 122 km away · intensity X
303 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.