Strong and shallow M6.0 earthquake hits Crete, Greece
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit Crete, Greece at 06:17 UTC on September 27, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 8.7 km (5.4 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
The epicenter was located about 7.4 km (4.6 miles) NNW of Thrapsanón (population 1 499), 13.2 km (8.2 miles) SE of Néa Alikarnassós (population 12 925), 13.5 km (8.4 miles) SE of Irákleion (population 137 154) and 19.3 km (12 miles) ESE of Gázi (population 12 606), Greece.
19 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 217 000 strong, 79 000 moderate, and 287 00 light.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities. There is a low likelihood of casualties.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A Yellow alert was issued for economic losses. Some damage is possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of Greece. Past events with this alert level have required a local or regional level response.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake-resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block and dressed stone/block masonry construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.
Numerous buildings have been damaged and some of them collapsed.
At least one person has been killed while several others are still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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