August 18, 1853 Earthquake: Thebes, Boeotia, Greece
An earthquake struck Thebes, Boeotia, Greece on August 18, 1853 at 08:30 UTC. It killed 17 people, counting the tsunami it caused.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- August 18, 1853
- Time
- 08:30 UTC
- Place
- Thebes, Boeotia, Greece
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 38.250° N, 23.500° E
- Country
- Greece
The toll
- Deaths
- 17
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
August 18, 1853, 8h30m, 38.25 N, 23.5 E, intensity = IX-X. At Thebes many houses and churches collapsed, large landslides, tsunamis, casualties; intensity IX at Thebes, VIII at Thespiai, Khalki (Chalkis), VII at Athinai. Thebes partly ruined, great damage at Atalanti and Khalki, 17 victims, felt at Patrai and Bursa (Brousse), strong tsunami in the Euboean Gulf. A very strong aftershock on Sept. 29, intensity VIII-IX. (reference #1099)
August 18, 1853, 08:30 local time, 38.25 N, 23.5 E, intensity IX. Plebes (Boeotia). Large landslides, tsunami, casualties. A very strong aftershock on September 29,1853. (reference #1198)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 856, Korinthos,patrai (Patras), Greece
- July 7, 551, Schisma, Boetia, Greece
- June 426 BC, Euboea, Greece
- April 20, 1894, Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris), Greece
- September 7, 1999, Athens, Greece
- August 23, 1817, Aeghion, Achaia, Greece
- August 1, 1870, Itea Delphi (Phokis), Greece
- September 30, 1870, Greece
- March 9, 1965, Alonisos, Skopelos, Greece
- January 30, 1785, Patrai (Patras), Zakynthos (Zante), Greece
- April 5, 1965, Southern, Greece
- April 30, 1954, Sophades (Karditsa), Greece
- April 27, 1894, St Konstantinos-Arkitsa (Lokris), Greece
- June 10, 1846, Messini-Micromani (Messinia), Greece
- June 15, 1995, Aiyion, Eratini, Greece
More
Significant earthquakes of 1853The 1800sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 1950.