Irákleion

Earthquakes near Irákleion through history

From 1900 to October 19, 2026, USGS recorded 13 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more within 100 km of Irákleion, or 200 km for magnitude 7 and above. The strongest on either list was a magnitude 8, twice: on July 21, 365 (Crete: Knossos) and on August 8, 1303 (Crete).

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The last 30 days · as of

USGS recorded no earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or more within 100 km of Irákleion in the last 30 days.

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What the record holds

The one on July 21, 365 was the deadliest: NOAA records 5,000 deaths for it. NOAA’s list of significant earthquakes has 32 here, back to 1451 BCE. NOAA records deaths in 7 of the events here, 12,957 in all. The latest on NOAA’s list is a magnitude 6.2 on May 22, 2025 (66 km SE of Emporeío, Greece). NOAA’s record here begins in 1451 BCE with an earthquake (Lacus Cimini). It grows thinner going back: 6 of the 32 significant earthquakes NOAA lists here are from 1927 on. NOAA lists 7 tsunamis that began within 100 km of Irákleion, and 2 from elsewhere that reached it with deaths or a metre of water or more. The highest water NOAA records here was 2 m, on July 9, 1956. The deadliest here came on July 21, 365 from a magnitude 8 earthquake (Crete): NOAA’s runup records count 5,000 deaths within 100 km of Irákleion.

The events

  • May 22, 2025Earthquake · M 6.266 km SE of Emporeío, GreeceUSGS · NOAA NCEI
  • July 9, 1956Tsunami · 2 m hereCycladesNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • August 8, 1303Earthquake · M 8.0 (est.)Crete · 4,000 deaths (NOAA)NOAA NCEI
  • July 21, 365Earthquake · M 8.0 (est.)Crete: Knossos · 5,000 deaths (NOAA)NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • July 21, 365TsunamiCrete · 5,000 deaths here (NOAA)NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • 1451 BCEEarthquakeLacus CiminiNOAA NCEI

Good to know

  • An event counts for Irákleion when it began within 100 km of its centre, or 200 km for an earthquake of magnitude 7 or more. Damage can reach further.
  • USGS counts here start at magnitude 6: the catalogue’s smaller quakes thin out going back, where few instruments listened.
  • NOAA lists significant events only: earthquakes that killed, did about $1 million of damage, reached magnitude 7.5 or intensity X, or raised a tsunami, and eruptions and tsunamis by like measures. Magnitudes before 1900 are its estimates from written accounts.
  • Deaths are NOAA’s total for each event, wherever people died, its tsunami and fires included. A tsunami counts the dead its runup records give for this place: NOAA’s total for a tsunami includes its source quake’s.
  • A tsunami from elsewhere counts where one of its runups killed or rose a metre or more.
  • Counted to October 19, 2026, as is the map. The last 30 days ask USGS again.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Earthquakes, live, The world through history

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