A shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake struck in the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Basin 132 kilometer from Irákleion, Greece in the evening of Sunday December 22nd, 2024. Another nearby country is Türkiye.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Basin, 49 kilometers (30 mi) off the coast of Greece, 132 kilometer south-east of Irákleion in Crete. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 22, 2024 21:09 (Athens Time) - Dec 22, 2024 19:09 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 132 km SE of Irákleion, Crete, Greece. Coordinates 34°34'29"N 26°15'34"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 317 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.032 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
Greece and Türkiye are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Located 132 kilometer (82 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Irákleion (Crete, Greece) is the nearest significant population center.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 132 km (82 mi) NW from epicenter |
Irákleion Crete, Greece. |
| 184 km (114 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Rethymno Crete, Greece. |
| 228 km (142 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Chaniá Crete, Greece. |
| 273 km (170 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ródos South Aegean, Greece. |
| 274 km (170 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Kos South Aegean, Greece. |
| 286 km (178 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Turgutreis Muğla, Türkiye. |
| 294 km (183 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Bodrum Muğla, Türkiye. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Kuwait.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Jabriya, Hawallī, Kuwait: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. At a distance of 87 km (54 mi) west of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 20 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3.5
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Dec 22, 2024 21:09 (Athens Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
20 hrs later Dec 23, 2024 17:16 (Athens Time) | 87 km (54 mi) W from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 21st, 2024, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 278 km (173 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on July 20th, 2017.
In total, 34 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 4 months.
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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 25/12/24 16:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000p0s7
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241222_0000188
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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