December 5, 1968 Earthquake: Dodecanese Islands, Greece
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Dodecanese Islands, Greece on December 5, 1968 at 07:52:11 UTC, 18 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, 1968
- Time
- 07:52:11 UTC
- Place
- Dodecanese Islands, Greece
- Magnitude
- 6.1 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 18 km (11 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 36.520° N, 26.946° E
- Country
- Greece
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1968-12-05 07:52:11.10 UTC, 36.52 N 26.946 E, magnitude 6.1 Mw (reference #10476, v.11)
At 07:52:12 UTC on 5 December 1968, a strong earthquake (Mw6.10) ruptured the Dodecanese Island complex, southeastern Aegean Sea, Greece (reference #13999)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 1491, Kos, Greece
- August 8, 1303, Crete, Greece
- October 12, 1856, Crete, Egypt, Greece
- April 22, 1863, Rhodes, Kos, Greece
- April 23, 1933, Dodecanese Islands, Greece
- March 31, 1928, Tepekoy, Torbali, Turkey
- October 30, 2020, Izmir, Samos, Turkey, Greece
- July 9, 1956, Dodecanese, Greece
- July 16, 1955, Samos, Soke, Aydin, Greece, Turkey
- April 25, 1957, Fethiye (Lycia, Asia Minor), Turkey
- August 11, 1904, Samos, Patmos, Greece
- December 1, 1869, Gulf of Keramos, Mentese, Turkey
- July 20, 2017, Kos, Bodrum, Datca, Greece, Turkey
- June 2, 2025, Fethiye, Turkey
- October 20, 2005, Izmir, Turkey
More
Significant earthquakes of 1968The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1968Recent 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 10842.