July 23, 1949 Earthquake: Karaburun, Chios, Oenoussae, Turkey, Greece

Name: July 23, 1949 Earthquake: Karaburun, Chios, Oenoussae, Turkey, Greece
Start: 1949-07-23
Location: Karaburun, Chios, Oenoussae, Turkey, Greece

July 23, 1949 · M6.5 · 7 deaths · 534 houses destroyed

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Karaburun, Chios, Oenoussae, Turkey, Greece on July 23, 1949 at 15:03:35 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 7 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: July 23, 1949
Time: 15:03:35 UTC
Place: Karaburun, Chios, Oenoussae, Turkey, Greece
Magnitude: 6.5 (Mw)
Focal depth: 15 km (9 mi)
Intensity: 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 38.718° N, 26.482° E
Country: Greece

The toll

Deaths: 7
Injuries: 435
Damage: Severe (about $5 to $25 million); Extreme (about $25 million or more) with its tsunami and other effects
Houses destroyed: 534
Houses damaged: 5,501

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.

1949, July 23. Aegean Sea, Island of Chios and Asia Minor. A destructive earthquake occurred in the north of Island of Chios, on the Islands of Inousses and in the north of the adjacent Cegme Peninsula in Asia Minor. According to official data 24,437 buildings in 49 settlements on the Island of Chios suffered, more or less, from the earthquake, 534 of them collapsed, 2,516 became inhabitable or were seriously damaged, and 2,985 underwent slight damage. 3 people were killed, about 50 were injured. Even new well-built house suffered in Marmaro... The area of destruction caused by the earthquake extended up to the Island of Psara in the west where many houses cracked, including school buildings. It is possible that the isoseismal line of sixth grade passed through the town Foqa; insignificant damage was observed still farther to the east in Izmir. The area of shocks embraced the Islands of Lesvos, Samos, Ikaria and reached Athens in the west (its extension amounted to 200 km). (reference #2130)

1949, July 23, Karaburun. 7 killed, 435 injured, 2200 houses destroyed. (reference #1141)

1949, July 23,15:03:30, 38.58 N, 26.23 E, h =n, M=6.7, Chios (IX, Kardamyla). (reference #4408)

1949, July 23, 15:03:30 UTC, 38.5 N, 26.5 E, near west coast of Turkey, magnitude 6.75. Destructive in Izmer and Karaburum. One killed, several injured. Heavy property damage in Marmaro and Kardamyea, northern part of Island of Chios, where 4 died and several hundred houses collapsed. (reference #45)

23 Jul 1949, 15:03:30 UTC, 38.6 N 26.3 E, 6.8 magnitude (reference #9910)

23 Jul 1949, 15:03:35.47 UTC, 38.718 N 26.482 E, 15 depth, magnitude 6.54 Mw (reference #10476)

23 Jul 1949, 15:03:32.5 UTC, 38.71 N 26.32 E, 10km depth. (reference #12761)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1949 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1949 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 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 3907.