M5.6 earthquake 42 km S of Palekastro, Greece
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 42 km S of Palekastro, Greece on Tue, Mar 19, 1991, 2:09 PM GMT+2 (12:09 UTC), 23 km (14 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1991-03-19 12:09:24 UTC
- Depth
- 22.7 km (14.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 34.825° N, 26.335° E
- Region
- Greece
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.6 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.54 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.5 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt in southern Crete. Also felt at Bodrum, Turkey. CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 18S, 51C Centroid Location: Origin Time 12:09:27.5 0.7 Lat 34.60N 0.09 Lon 26.13E 0.07 Dep 15.0 FIX Half-duration 2.3 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-1.14 0.08 Mtt=-0.63 0.11 Mff=1.76 0.09 Mrt=-0.45 0.26 Mrf=-1.54 0.26 Mtf=1.64 0.08 Principal Axes: (T) Val=3.18 Plg=20 Azm=116 (N) Val=-1.29 Plg=30 Azm=13 (P) Val=-1.89 Plg=53 Azm=234 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.5*10**17 NP1:Strike=245 Dip=36 Slip=-33 NP2:Strike=2 Dip=71 Slip=-122
From the USGS event page for usp0004p8a. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.247 km SSE of Palekastro, Greece · 12982 days ago · 33 km deep · 6 km away
- 4.841 km SSE of Palekastro, Greece · 12982 days ago · 22 km deep · 4 km away
- 3.778 km SSE of Ierápetra, Greece · 12969 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
- 4.648 km SSE of Palekastro, Greece · 12938 days ago · 20 km deep · 13 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayGreece earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0004p8a (also filed as gcmtb031991a, gcmt19910319120924, iscgem338949). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 2:08 PM UTC.