Historical eventSeptember 131986

1986 Kalamata earthquake

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes Kalamata, Greece with a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing at least 20 and causing heavy damage in the city.

40th anniversary in 2026

Everything on September 13Original source

In context

When
Saturday, September 13 198640 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1980s
Anniversary
40th in 2026
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1986.

What came beforeAI-assisted

Kalamata, located in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece, sits in a seismically active zone along the Hellenic Arc subduction system. The city had experienced significant earthquakes in its recorded history, including a destructive 1886 event.

Catalyst / how it startedAI-assisted

The earthquake resulted from tectonic stress along the subduction zone where the African Plate descends beneath the Eurasian Plate. The rupture occurred at shallow depth, approximately 13 kilometers below the surface, maximizing damage to structures above.

Who was involvedAI-assisted

Greek emergency services and rescue teams responded immediately to the disaster. International aid organizations and neighboring countries provided humanitarian assistance and structural engineers to assess damage.

TimelineAI-assisted

The main shock struck at 11:24 AM local time on September 13, 1986. Significant aftershocks continued for days following the initial event, complicating rescue and recovery efforts.

What happened

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes Kalamata, Greece with a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing at least 20 and causing heavy damage in the city.

September 13 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 19861986 Kalamata earthquake
  2. 1993Yitzhak Rabin
  3. 1993Nirvana (band)
  4. 1997German Air Force
  5. 2001September 11 attacks
  6. 2005Corrupted Blood incident
  7. 2007Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
  8. 2007McLaren
  9. 2008Delhi
  10. 200813 September 2008 Delhi bombings
  11. 2013Taliban

Also in 1986

  • September 5Pan Am Flight 73Pan Am Flight 73 from Mumbai, India with 358 people on board is hijacked at Karachi International Airport.
  • November 17Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628The flight crew of Japan Airlines Flight 1628 are involved in a UFO sighting incident while flying over Alaska.
  • October 20Aeroflot Flight 6502Aeroflot Flight 6502 crashed on approach to Kurumoch Airport in Samara, Russia (then Kuybyshev in the Soviet Union), killing 70 people on…
  • May 25Hands Across AmericaThe Hands Across America event takes place.
  • June 14Mindbender (Galaxyland)The Mindbender derails, killing three riders and severely injuring one at the Fantasyland (known today as Galaxyland) indoor amusement pa…
  • November 5USS RentzUSS Rentz, USS Reeves and USS Oldendorf visit Qingdao, China; the first US naval visit to China since 1949.
  • July 9New Zealand ParliamentThe New Zealand Parliament passes the Homosexual Law Reform Act legalising homosexuality in New Zealand.
  • January 18AerovíasAn Aerovías Sud Aviation Caravelle crashes on approach to Mundo Maya International Airport in Flores, Petén, Guatemala, killing all 94 pe…

Everything we record for 1986 →

Sources

Cite this page

“1986 Kalamata earthquake”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/1986-kalamata-earthquake-1986-september-13, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did 1986 Kalamata earthquake happen?

September 13 1986 — 40 years ago, on a Saturday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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