M7.8 earthquake near Dúrcal, Andalusia

What happened

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Strait of Gibraltar on 29 Mar 1954, 06:17 UTC at a depth of 626 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was a deep earthquake; shaking at the surface is usually weak for its size.

The nearest town in our records is Dúrcal, about 4 km away in Andalusia, Spain.