Moderate short earthquake close to Thessaloniki, Greece

Last update: May 13, 2012 at 8:56 am by By

Earthquake overview : At 01:48 AM in the morning, many people in the Greek city of Thessalonika have been scared by a short shock.  The epicenter of the earthquake was at only 10 km from the city.
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- Many people have felt the earthquake. The epicenter was located in the bay, close to the beach.
- Thessaloniki is a city with a population of  354,290.
- Earthquake-Report.com does not expect any serious damage out of this earthquake. Main reasons : weak magnitude, short shaking, focal depth at a reasonable 24 km and epicenter in the bay waters.
- The Greece Institute of Geodynamics in Athens reports a Magnitude of Ml4.1 at a depth of 24 km.
- As could be expected, No reports of damage have reached the authorities.
- The Great Thessaloniki Earthquake  was an earthquake that occurred on 20 June 1978, at 22:03 local time, and registered a Mw6.6  . It was felt throughout northern Greece, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. It was the largest seismic activity in the area since 1932. (source Wikipedia)

Green arrow : epicenter of the earthquake

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“I Have Felt It” reports as received by Earthquake-Report.com
See below for all the received Earthquake Experience reports as received by earthquake-report.com

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : Mw4.0
UTC Time : 22:48 UTC
Local time at epicenter : 01:48 on May 13
Depth (Hypocenter) : 24 km
Geo-location(s) :
7 km S Kalokhórion (pop 4,162)
8 km W Kalamariá (pop 91,617)
10 km SW Thessaloníki (pop 354,290)

Links to important maps
Google satellite map showing the epicenter and the surrounding area
Scientific report

Click here for examples of our “earthquake notifications (button below)”

SRC Location UTC Date/time M D INFORMATION
EMSC Greece May 12 23:03 PM 2.5 11 MAP I Felt It
USGS Greece May 12 22:48 PM 4.0 14 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Greece May 12 22:48 PM 4.0 24 MAP I Felt It
  • Kalamaria - Felt like it was very close (source EMSC)
  • Kalamaria - smooth at start but ended with a short and strong vibration (source EMSC)
  • Kalamaria - Ηταν σαν ένα μεγάλο αυτοκίνητο να έπεσε πανω στο κτιριο: πολύ μικρής διάρκειας, άλλα πολύ δυνατό τράνταγμα. (source EMSC)
  • Kalamaria - I've lived in Thessaloniki for 5 years and this is about my 3rd quake I've noticed. Out of all of them, this was the loudest & most scary for me, I saw & felt the building sway & the rumble was loud, but I was surprised that nothing in my small unit on the 2nd floor rattled etc. I wasn't asleep which made it worse, but it has scared me a fair bit! (source EMSC)
  • Kalamaria - Sense that the move was up-down, like something really heavy falls behind you. (source EMSC)
  • Thessalonika - It was very loud for such a little shake,it felt like going up an down instead of going left and right, short period of shake (source EMSC)
  • Thessalonika - It was very short, about three seconds long. It came with a first wave and sound and then another two stronger waves. (source EMSC)
  • Thessalonika - Very loud roar, 1-2 seconds before the earthquake started. Quake lasted for 3-5 seconds. (source EMSC)
  • Thessalonika - Ήταν η πιό ισχυρά αντιληπτή δόνηση που ένοιωσα στο σπίτι μου από τον σεισμό της 4/7/78 που ληταν ο τελευταίος ισχυρός της σειράς του σεισμού της 20/6/78. (source EMSC)
  • Thessalonika - It was a strange one, as if a small bomb had exploded. Or as the warplane breaks the sound barrier... (source EMSC)
  • Evosmos - I was lying down in bed and felt sort of jerky sensation, not the rolling mention I have experienced in the past. The building and outside noise was quite noticeable. (source EMSC)
    		•
    EMSC Greece May 12 22:46 PM 2.7 5 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Greece May 12 22:44 PM 2.5 5 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Greece May 12 20:52 PM 2.9 5 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Greece May 12 20:46 PM 3.8 7 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Dodecanese Islands, Greece May 12 20:22 PM 2.3 12 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Greece May 12 19:58 PM 2.8 5 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Greece May 12 16:59 PM 2.8 5 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Greece May 12 16:06 PM 3.2 5 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Greece May 12 15:49 PM 3.3 2 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Greece May 12 15:46 PM 3.6 2 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Greece May 12 08:26 AM 3.1 5 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Greece May 12 08:24 AM 2.7 1 MAP I Felt It

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    SHARE YOUR EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE WITH US

    Enter Email (not compulsory)
    City/Village where you felt the earthquake
    MMI II (Very weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt by persons at rest, on upper floors or favorably placed.
    MMI III (Weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt indoors; hanging objects may swing, vibration similar to passing of light trucks, duration may be estimated, may not be recognized as an earthquake.
    MMI IV (Light shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally noticed indoors but not outside. Light sleepers may be awakened. Vibration may be likened to the passing of heavy traffic, or to the jolt of a heavy object falling or striking the building.
    Fittings :
    Doors and windows rattle. Glassware and crockery rattle. Liquids in open vessels may be slightly disturbed. Standing motorcars may rock.
    Structures :
    Walls and frames of buildings, and partitions and suspended ceilings in commercial buildings, may be heard to creak.
    MMI V (Moderate shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally felt outside, and by almost everyone indoors. Most sleepers awakened. A few people alarmed.
    Fittings :
    Small unstable objects are displaced or upset. Some glassware and crockery may be broken. Hanging pictures knock against the wall. Open doors may swing. Cupboard doors secured by magnetic catches may open. Pendulum clocks stop, start, or change rate.
    Structures :
    Some large display windows cracked. A few earthenware toilet fixtures cracked.
    MMI VI (Strong shaking) ?
    People Felt by all. People and animals alarmed. Many run outside. Difficulty experienced in walking steadily.
    Fittings :
    Objects fall from shelves. Pictures fall from walls. Some furniture moved on smooth floors, some unsecured free-standing fireplaces moved. Glassware and crockery broken. Very unstable furniture overturned. Small church and school bells ring. Appliances move on bench or table tops. Filing cabinets or "easy glide" drawers may open (or shut).
    Structures :
    Slight damage to buildings with low standard. Some stucco or cement plaster falls. Large display windows broken. Damage to a few weak domestic chimneys, some may fall.
    Environment :
    Trees and bushes shake, or are heard to rustle. Loose material may be dislodged from sloping ground, e.g. existing slides, talus slopes, shingle slides.
    MMI VII (Very strong shaking) ?
    People
    General alarm. Difficulty experienced in standing. Noticed by motorcar drivers who may stop.
    Fittings :
    Large bells ring. Furniture moves on smooth floors, may move on carpeted floors. Substantial damage to fragile contents of buildings.
    Structures :
    Unreinforced stone and brick walls cracked. Low standard buildings cracked with some minor masonry falls. A few instances of damage to buildings of ordinary workmanship. Unbraced parapets, unbraced brick gables, and architectural ornaments fall. Roofing tiles, especially ridge tiles may be dislodged. Many unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, often falling from roof-line. Water tanks Type I burst. A few instances of damage to brick veneers and plaster or cement-based linings. Unrestrained water cylinders (hot-water cylinders) may move and leak. Some common windows cracked. Suspended ceilings damaged.
    Environment :
    Water made turbid by stirred up mud. Small slides such as falls of sand and gravel banks, and small rock-falls from steep slopes and cuttings. Instances of settlement of unconsolidated or wet, or weak soils. Some fine cracks appear in sloping ground. A few instances of liquefaction (i.e. small water and sand ejections).
    MMI VIII (Severe shaking) ?
    People Alarm may approach panic. Steering of motorcars greatly affected. Structures : Low standard buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. ordinary workmanship buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged in some cases. A few instances of damage to buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes. Monuments and pre-1976 elevated tanks and factory stacks twisted or brought down. Some pre-1965 infill masonry panels damaged. A few post-1980 brick veneers damaged. Decayed timber piles of houses damaged. Houses not secured to foundations may move. Most unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, some below roof-line, many brought down. Environment : Cracks appear on steep slopes and in wet ground. Small to moderate slides in roadside cuttings and unsupported excavations. Small water and sand ejections and localized lateral spreading adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
    MMI IX (Violent shaking) ?
    Structures Many low standard buildings destroyed. Ordinary workmanship buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes damaged in some cases, some with flexible frames seriously damaged. Damage or permanent distortion to some buildings and bridges, designed and built to normal use standards. Houses not secured to foundations shifted off. Brick veneers fall and expose frames. Environment : Cracking of ground conspicuous. Landsliding general on steep slopes. Liquefaction effects intensified and more widespread, with large lateral spreading and flow sliding adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
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