November 8, 1905 Earthquake: Aegean Sea, Greece
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Aegean Sea, Greece on November 8, 1905 at 22:06:11 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 11 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
- November 8, 1905
- Time
- 22:06:11 UTC
- Place
- Aegean Sea, Greece
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 40.092° N, 24.627° E
- Country
- Greece
The toll
- Deaths
- 11 with its tsunami and other effects
- 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.
Ref #88:
08 Nov 1905, 22:06:12 UTC, 40 N, 24 E, 7.8 magnitude
Ref #10476:
08 Nov 1905 22:06:11.84 (UTC), 40.092 N, 24.627 E, 15 depth, Mw 7.24
Ref #12677:
We concluded that the earthquake origin time was 8 November 1905,22:06 GMT. However, the local origin time should be shifted 2 h, that is at 9 November 1905, 00:06, which justifies the dating by Sieberg (1932).
[...]because of the seismic shaking, the mountain partly detachedfrom a place lying uphill at a distance of at least300 m above sea level and descended into the sea.
Based on all the evidence, humans were not victims due to building collapse, but only due to the massive landslides, the rock falls and the local tsunami[...]We have concluded that the total number of victims was very likely 11, and that 6 of them were killed by the landslide, while the other 5 were killed by the tsunami.
The earthquake caused extensive damage in several monasteries, mainly along the southern side of Mt. Athos peninsula as well as in towns and villages in nearby areas. The maximum intensity[...]estimated as high as IX-X degree.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 7, 1867, Izmir, Mitilini, Turkey, Greece
- August 6, 1384, Lesbos, Greece
- September 26, 1932, Hierissos-Strantonion (Chalkidiki), Greece
- June 20, 1978, Thessaloniki, Greece
- March 9, 1965, Alonisos, Skopelos, Greece
- October 6, 1944, Ayvalik, Turkey
- October 25, 1889, Lesbos, Greece
- February 19, 1968, St Eustratios, Aegean Sea, Greece
- April 19, 1955, Drakia-Agria (Magnesia), Greece
- April 21, 1955, Aegean Sea, Greece
- July 5, 1902, Thessaloniki, Greece
- May 24, 2014, Greece, Turkey
- March 8, 1957, Stephanovikion-Velestnon (Magnesia), Greece
- February 9, 1893, Samothraki, Greece
- July 9, 1980, Magnesia, Aegean Sea, Greece
More
Significant earthquakes of 1905The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1905Recent 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 2739.