July 20, 1938 Earthquake: Vassilikon, Central, Greece
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Vassilikon, Central, Greece on July 20, 1938 at 00:23:38 UTC, 15 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
- July 20, 1938
- Time
- 00:23:38 UTC
- Place
- Vassilikon, Central, Greece
- Magnitude
- 6.1 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 38.154° N, 23.592° 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.
A destructive earthquake of magnitude Mw6.10 occurred near Oropos, Central Greece (reference #13999)
1938-07-20 00:23:38.41 UTC, 38.154 N 23.592 E, magnitude 6.1 Mw (reference #10476, v.11)
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 1938The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1938Recent 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 10833.