December 5, 1923 Earthquake: Chalkidiki, Greece
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Chalkidiki, Greece on December 5, 1923 at 20:56:49 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
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
- December 5, 1923
- Time
- 20:56:49 UTC
- Place
- Chalkidiki, Greece
- Magnitude
- 6.4 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 39.820° N, 23.594° E
- Country
- Greece
The toll
- 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.
1923, December 05, 20:56:35, 40N 23.4 E, M 6.4, Chalkdiki (VIII, Valta). The earthquake shook violently the peninsuIa of Kassandra and changed to ruins many villages. The lighthouse, which was in the SW part of the peninsuIa was fissured. It caused damage in Valta (Kassandria) and Furka and Iight damage to Paliuri and Polygyros. It was strongIy felt in Volos, ThessaIoniki, Larisa, Katerine, Iess strongIy in Skiathos, Skopelos, Tsaritsane, Istiaea, lighter in Monastiri and Athens as well as in Bulgaria up to Sofia (AOA, 192 ; Critikos, 1932a; Ambraseys and Jackson, 1990). It was followed by felt aftershocks, the Iargest of which occurred on 6 December (00:27, M=4.8). Isoseismals are cited by Ambraseys and Jackson (1990) as well as by Papazachos et al. (1976b). (reference #4408)
1923-12-05 20:56:49.79 UTC, magnitude 6.39 Mw. (reference #10476, v.11)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 7, 551, Schisma, Boetia, Greece
- June 426 BC, Euboea, Greece
- April 20, 1894, Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris), Greece
- September 26, 1932, Hierissos-Strantonion (Chalkidiki), Greece
- September 7, 1999, Athens, Greece
- August 1, 1870, Itea Delphi (Phokis), Greece
- September 30, 1870, Greece
- June 20, 1978, Thessaloniki, Greece
- March 9, 1965, Alonisos, Skopelos, Greece
- April 30, 1954, Sophades (Karditsa), Greece
- April 27, 1894, St Konstantinos-Arkitsa (Lokris), Greece
- June 15, 1995, Aiyion, Eratini, Greece
- April 20, 1954, Greece
- February 19, 1968, St Eustratios, Aegean Sea, Greece
- February 24, 1981, Athens-Eastern Gulf of Corinth, Greece
More
Significant earthquakes of 1923The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1923Recent 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 10766.