M5.0 Earthquake 23 km ESE of Kýthira, Greece — December 18, 2021
2021-12-18 05:16:39 UTC (2021-12-18) · approx. 7:16 AM UTC+2 local
Felt by 12 people across nearby locations.
On December 18, 2021 at 05:16 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 23 km ESE of Kýthira, Greece, at a depth of 63.5 km and coordinates 36.0912°, 23.2437°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Greece, a region characterized by the Hellenic subduction zone, where the African Plate subducts northward beneath the Aegean at roughly 35 mm per year. The nearest mapped fault system is the Hellenic Trench. View all earthquakes in Greece.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 12 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
23.2437°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Kýthira, Greece?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 23 km ESE of Kýthira, Greece on December 18, 2021 at 05:16 UTC had a depth of 63.5 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 36.0912°, 23.2437°, which is 23 km ESE of Kýthira, Greece. View all earthquakes in Greece.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Has Greece had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Greece was the M8.5 Crete earthquake of June 29, 1303. Today's magnitude 5.0 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000gdc8). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, December 18, 2021). M5.0 Earthquake 23 km ESE of Kýthira, Greece — December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000gdc8/