Before
Secure heavy furniture, prepare a torch and essential supplies, and agree on a safe family meeting point.
Earthquakes in Greece · Map, major historical events and preparedness
Earthquakes in Greece: recent records, major historical events in Crete, Amorgos and the Ionian, annual records and official preparedness guidance.
01Recent earthquakes
Map, UTC time, magnitude and depth.
02M ≥ 6.5 historyCountry and year filters, tables and CSV.
03Volcanoes & eruptionsHistorical records and nearby places.
Earthquakes in Greece: records and history
Seismic activity has left a strong mark on Greek towns, islands and history. The interactive map helps locate available records by area and time. To compare periods, keep the magnitude threshold consistent and read each event’s magnitude type. Sources and the completeness of older catalogs differ. ΟΑΣΠ · Ελλάδα και σεισμοί
Some of the largest historical earthquakes in Greece
This is a chronological selection of major events, not a definitive ranking. Ancient estimates do not have the precision of modern instrumental measurements, and different magnitude scales are not fully interchangeable.
| Date | Region | Magnitude / estimate | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21/07/365 | Southwestern Crete | ≈8.3–8.5 | Scientific reconstruction, not an instrumental measurement. Major eastern Mediterranean tsunami. | Polonia et al., 2013 |
| 08/08/1303 | Crete – eastern Hellenic arc | ≈8.0 | Historical estimate. NCEI records an associated tsunami. | NOAA NCEI |
| 11/08/1903 | Southern Greece | 7.9 Ms | Surface-wave magnitude in the USGS catalog. | USGS |
| 06/10/1947 | Koroni – southern Peloponnese | 7.3 Mw | Major earthquake in the southern Peloponnese. | USGS / ISC-GEM |
| 09/02/1948 | Karpathos | 7.3 Mw | Catalog event near Karpathos. | USGS / ISC-GEM |
| 12/08/1953 | Kefalonia – Zakynthos – Ithaki | M 7.2 | EPPO value. Destructive sequence in the Ionian Islands. | ΟΑΣΠ / EPPO |
| 09/07/1956 | Amorgos – Cyclades | 7.7 Mw / M 7.5 | USGS/ISC-GEM: Mw 7.7. EPPO: M 7.5. Major tsunami and damage on Aegean islands. | ΟΑΣΠ / EPPO |
Modern Amorgos catalog record: USGS / ISC-GEM · Mw 7.7.
Crete, the Ionian and the Aegean: history is not a prediction
The AD 365 event southwest of Crete illustrates how a major earthquake can affect areas far beyond its epicentre. The 1856 earthquake also caused widespread damage in Crete and the Dodecanese. An event’s impact depends on more than magnitude: population exposure and building resilience matter. ΟΑΣΠ · 365 · ΟΑΣΠ · 1856
Earthquake maps show recorded activity. They do not determine when, where or how large the next earthquake will be. Follow the Geodynamic Institute and EPPO for official Greek solutions and announcements. Tables use UTC so international records can be compared consistently. Γεωδυναμικό Ινστιτούτο
Before, during and after an earthquake
During shaking
Indoors, take cover under a sturdy table and hold on. Protect your head and neck; do not rush outside or onto a balcony. Outdoors, move away from façades and cables.
After
When shaking stops, use stairs and move to a safe open space. Expect aftershocks. Near the coast, move to higher ground after a strong earthquake. Follow official instructions.
Brief paraphrase; read the full preparedness instructions: ΟΑΣΠ · Civil Protection. For an emergency: 112.
Recent earthquakes worldwide
Major earthquakes by country and year · default M ≥ 6.5
Select up to 20 years at a time, from 1900 onward. Annual totals count catalog entries returned for the selected filters.
Waiting for USGS data…
—filtered records
—largest magnitude
Country association uses simplified geographic boundaries. Offshore epicentres may be associated with the closest coast within about 200 km; this does not define national jurisdiction. An empty map area does not imply an absence of seismic activity.
| Time UTC | Magnitude | Scale | Location | Depth | Country / coast | Source |
|---|
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Volcanoes in Greece and worldwide
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program catalog brings together Holocene volcanoes and their known eruptions. Inclusion does not mean a volcano is erupting now. The last recorded year and older eruptions describe historical records. Smithsonian GVP
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Volcanic regions and weather forecasts
Santorini
Weather in nearby places: Fira, Santorini · Mesaria · Oía
Kolumbo
Weather in nearby places: Oía · Fira, Santorini · Mesaria
Nisyros
Weather in nearby places: Nikia · Mandraki, Nisyros · Paloi
Methana
Milos
Weather in nearby places: Adamantas, Milos · Triovasalos · Plaka
Etna
Stromboli
Campi Flegrei
Linked distances are straight-line distances. A weather forecast helps with planning but does not determine whether access to a crater is permitted. Follow local restrictions and official notices.
Volcanic eruption history by country and year
| Start | End | Volcano | Country | VEI | Evidence |
|---|
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VEI describes eruption explosivity and is not an earthquake magnitude. Unknown dates remain unknown. Annual tables count eruptions starting in each year, not every year an eruption lasted. GVP · FAQ