Reviewed by USGSGreece23y ago
M3.4 earthquake 28 km SW of Lithakiá, Greece
Friday, December 19, 2003, 16:18:43 UTC · 37.510°N, 20.640°E
A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 28 km SW of Lithakiá, Greece on Friday, December 19, 2003, 16:18:43 UTC, at a depth of 5.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.4
- Minor · md
- Depth
- 5 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
2 tons of TNT
That is about 1/7,931 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 251 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
12 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
5 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 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.2 on January 16, 2004. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.210 km SSE of Lithakiá, Greece23y ago · 26 km NE of this epicenter
- 3.4Ionian Sea23y ago · 44 km N of this epicenter
- 3.626 km SW of Katastárion, Greece23y ago · 21 km NW of this epicenter
- 3.410 km SSW of Arkoúdi, Greece23y ago · 47 km NE of this epicenter
- 3.759 km SW of Lithakiá, Greece23y ago · 31 km SW of this epicenter
- 3.228 km SE of Lithakiá, Greece23y ago · 39 km E of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 441 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.9Southern GreeceAugust 11, 1903 · 269 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.34 km WNW of Koróni, GreeceOctober 6, 1947 · 137 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.026 km SW of Lixoúri, GreeceJanuary 17, 1983 · 68 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.815 km ENE of Póros, GreeceAugust 12, 1953 · 79 km N of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SW of Galaxídhion, GreeceMarch 31, 1965 · 174 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7Ionian SeaNovember 15, 1959 · 38 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 · 233 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 142 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,475 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1750
Morea,Cerigo
7 Jun 1750 · 256 km away · intensity X
2,000 deaths
- 1953M7.2
Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia)
12 Aug 1953 · 89 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 · 104 km away · intensity X
326 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1767M6.7
Kefalonia
11 Jul 1767 · 86 km away · intensity X
303 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1894M6.7
Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris)
20 Apr 1894 · 255 km away · intensity X
255 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.