March 9, 1965 Earthquake: Alonisos, Skopelos, Greece
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Alonisos, Skopelos, Greece on March 9, 1965 at 17:57:53 UTC, 18 km below the surface. It killed 38 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
- March 9, 1965
- Time
- 17:57:53 UTC
- Place
- Alonisos, Skopelos, Greece
- Magnitude
- 6.3 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 18 km (11 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 39.400° N, 24.000° E
- Country
- Greece
The toll
- Deaths
- 38
- Injuries
- 253
- Damage
- $8 million
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) with its tsunami and other effects
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.
On March 9, 1965 at 17:57:53.7 UTC, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the Aegean Sea, according to press reports, destroyed 85% of the buildings on the islands of Alonnisos and Skopelos and killed two people. The shock was felt throughout Greece, and in Canakkale and Edremit, Turkey. The earthquake also caused a tsunami. (reference #45)
Reference #1250 lists 38 killed, 253 injured and $8 million damage.
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
- August 6, 1384, Lesbos, Greece
- April 20, 1894, Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris), Greece
- September 26, 1932, Hierissos-Strantonion (Chalkidiki), Greece
- September 7, 1999, Athens, Greece
- August 23, 1817, Aeghion, Achaia, Greece
- August 1, 1870, Itea Delphi (Phokis), Greece
- September 30, 1870, Greece
- June 20, 1978, Thessaloniki, 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
More
Significant earthquakes of 1965The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1965Recent 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 4341.