Reviewed by USGSGreece22y ago
M3.2 earthquake 3 km SSE of Messíni, Greece
Monday, May 31, 2004, 18:29:46 UTC · 37.020°N, 22.020°E
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck 3 km SSE of Messíni, Greece on Monday, May 31, 2004, 18:29:46 UTC, at a depth of 6.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.2
- Minor · md
- Depth
- 6 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
951 kg of TNT
That is about 1/15,825 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 501 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
75 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
6 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M3.4 on June 5, 2004. 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 475 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.9Southern GreeceAugust 11, 1903 · 143 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.34 km WNW of Koróni, GreeceOctober 6, 1947 · 25 km S of this epicenter
- 7.026 km SW of Lixoúri, GreeceJanuary 17, 1983 · 194 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.815 km ENE of Póros, GreeceAugust 12, 1953 · 160 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SW of Galaxídhion, GreeceMarch 31, 1965 · 149 km N of this epicenter
- 6.7Ionian SeaNovember 15, 1959 · 158 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.75 km SW of Domvraína, GreeceFebruary 24, 1981 · 156 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.77 km NE of Anávra, GreeceApril 30, 1954 · 246 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 133 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,236 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1750
Morea,Cerigo
7 Jun 1750 · 126 km away · intensity X
2,000 deaths
- 1953M7.2
Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia)
12 Aug 1953 · 178 km away · intensity X
476 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1820M6.9
Zakinthos (Zante)
29 Dec 1820 · 106 km away · intensity X
388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1886M6.8
Triphylie (Peleponese), Philiatra
27 Aug 1886 · 30 km away · intensity X
326 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1767M6.7
Kefalonia
11 Jul 1767 · 195 km away · intensity X
303 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1894M6.7
Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris)
20 Apr 1894 · 204 km away · intensity X
255 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.