Shallow M5.8 Earthquake hit 25mi from Greece on Friday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 29th, 2024. Last updated May 2nd, 2024.

In the morning of Friday March 29th, 2024, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit 25 miles from Greece. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 1.9 million people. Another country near the epicenter is Albania.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake struck 25 miles (40 km) from Greece The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 27 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 29, 2024 09:12 (Athens Time) - Mar 29, 2024 07:12 Universal Time.
Location:	43 km SSW of Pýrgos, West Greece, Greece. Coordinates 37°19'4"N 21°14'49"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 52 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.043 .
Depth:	27 km (17 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

Several homes destoyred and many buildings damaged at Zacharo.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 1.9 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 1.9 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 15,800 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1.2 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Greece .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Greece and Albania are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Pýrgos in West Greece, Greece. Pýrgos is located 43 kilometer (27 mi) south-southwest of the epicenter. Pýrgos experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly V. That level implies moderate shaking and very light damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Athens is located 231 km to the east-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Pátra is located 112 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Thessaloníki is located 397 km to the north-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is V.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 28 people in 4 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 28 people have reported shaking in 23 places in 4 countries (Egypt, Greece, Malta, Armenia).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Xirokámbion, Lakonía, Greece: 3 people.
• Athens, Attikí, Greece: 2 people.
• Mosta, Northern, Malta: 2 people.
• Kalamáta, Messinía, Greece: 2 people.
• Nidríon, Levkás, Greece: 1 person.
• San Pawl il-Baħar, Northern, Malta: 1 person.
• Ta Xbiex, Inner Harbour, Malta: 1 person.
• Munxar, Gozo and Comino, Malta: 1 person.
• Paralía Vérgas, Messinía, Greece: 1 person.
• Longá, Messinía, Greece: 1 person.

14 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 14 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 5 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.6 was detected 19 km (11 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 53 sec earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.3

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

This is the strongest earthquake in 3 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 4th, 2021, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 285 km (177 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on October 25th, 2018.

In total, 6 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 years.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 02/05/24 11:18 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000m8q9
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240329_0000071
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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