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: October 6, 1947
Time: 19:55:37 UTC
Place: Pylia (Messinia), S, Greece
Magnitude: 7.3 (Mw)
Magnitude scales: Mw 7.3 · Ms 6.9 · mb 7.1
Focal depth: 28 km (17 mi)
Intensity: IX, violent shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 36.808° N, 21.916° E
Country: Greece
Region: Southern Europe
USGS record: The USGS’s page for this earthquake

Mw: moment magnitude, based on the slip on the fault and the area that slipped. Ms: surface-wave magnitude. mb: body-wave (P-wave) magnitude. NCEI’s headline magnitude is the best of these for the earthquake.

The toll

Deaths: 3
Injuries: 29
Damage: Extreme (about $25 million or more)
Houses destroyed: 7,800

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.

1947, October 6. Ionian Sea, Greece. A strong earthquake occurred on the south - western shore of Peloponnesus. Landslides took place within the focal area on the coast and, possibly, on the sea bottom. A landslide in the villages of Christiane and Panyperu carried houses into the sea. Tsunami waves over 1 m high originated. The sea in Methone advanced 15 m deep onto dry land. (reference #2130)

1947, October 6, 19:55:31 UTC, 36.9 N, 22 E, magnitude 7, intensity IX. A very strong earthquake affecting the Peloponnesus, particularly the province of Pylia. More than 7,000 buildings were destroyed, 3 person killed and 20 injured. A strong tsunami wave was observed entering 15 m landward at Methoni. It could be caused by a submarine landslide which occurred 6 km south-southwest off the coast. (reference #4139)

1947, October 6, 19:55:31 UTC, 37 N, 22 E, magnitude 7 MS. Felt with intensity VIII-IX at Corone. (reference #45)

1947, October 6, 19:55:37 UTC, 36.9 N, 22 E, depth 28 km, intensity IX , casualties, tsunami. (reference #1198)

1947, October 6, 19:55:37 UTC. 37 N, 22 E, magnitude 6.9 Ms, 7.1 mb. (reference #9190)

1947, October 6 19:55:42 UTC. 37.04 N, 21.76 E, 57 depth. (reference #12496)

1947, October 6, 19:55:37.49 UTC. 36.808 N, 21.916 E, magnitude 7.3 Mw. (reference #10476, v. 9.1)

The earthquake destroyed or damaged beyond repair about 5 per cent of the houses in the region and rendered uninhabitable another 16 per cent, that is, causing irreparable damage to 7800 houses injuring 29 people. (reference #13475)

Sources NCEI cites

The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.

#2427 Papadopoulos, Gerassimos A. (2000). Tsunamis in the East Mediterranean: 1. A Catalogue for the Area of Greece and Adjacent Seas. Institute of Geodynamics, National Observatory of Athens, Greece. Online listing of events through 2000 at: http://www.gein.noa.gr/services/catalogue.htm
#4139 Tsunami Risk and Strategies for the European region (TRANSFER) project (2009). Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Region Tsunami Catalogue (NEAMTWS), retrieved February 2009 from http://www.ioc-tsunami.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=282&Itemid=1102
#45 U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey and U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (1928-1986). United States Earthquakes, Annual publication, published 1928-1986. vol.s for 1928-1965 issued by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey; volumes for 1966-1969 issued by the National Earthquake Information Center; volume for 1970 issued by the National Geophysical Data Center; volumes for 1971-1972 issued by the National Geophysical And Solar-Terrestrial Data Center; volumes for 1973-1980 published jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey; volumes for 1981-1986 published by the U.S. Geological Survey. [on shelf]
#1004 Karnik, V. (1969). Seismicity of the European Area, Part 1, D. Riedel Publishing Co., Dordrecht, Holland, 1969. 364 p.
#1198 Galanopoulos, Angelos G. (1960). Greece: A Catalogue of Shocks with Io greater than or equal to VI or M greater than or equal to 5 for the Years 1801-1958. Seismological Laboratory, Athens University, 119 p.
#9910 Engdahl, E.R., R. van der Hilst, R. Buland (2012). Centennial Earthquake Catalog. Retrieved August 11, 2011 from link
#10476 International Seismological Centre (2013). Final Scientific Report of the ISC-GEM Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue, ISC-GEM Global Instrumental earthquake Catalogue (1900-2021). Versions 1-12 downloaded beginning 18 March 2013. DOI: 10.31905/D808B825
#12496 Ebeling, C.W., Okal, E.A., Kalligeris, N. and Synolakis, C.E. (2012). Modern seismological reassessment and tsunami simulation of historical Hellenic Arc earthquakes. Tectonophysics, 530, 225-239. DOI:10.1016/j.tecto.2011.12.036
#13475 Ambraseys, N.N., J.A. Jackson (1990). Seismicity and associated strain of central Greece between 1890 and 1988. Geophys. J. Int. 1990, 101, 663–708.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1947 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1947 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 3864. The written accounts and the magnitude estimates are from the USGS earthquake catalog, event iscgem898058, matched to this record by time, place and magnitude.