2008 Peloponnese earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Peloponnese earthquake was a deadly earthquake
that killed two people, injured more than 220 and left at least 2,000 people homeless in north western Peloponese, Greece
, on June 8, 2008. The earthquake hit the area at 1525 EET
(1325 UTC), with a moment magnitude
of 6.5, according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute. It was strongly felt as far away as in Athens
and in parts of southern Italy. The US Geological Survey reported that the quake had a magnitude of 6.3. The epicenter of the tremor was located about 15 miles (32 km) southwest of the Greek port city of Patras
, at a depth of 10 km. Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos
dispatched rescue and recovery teams (including members of five government agencies), the Red Cross and units of the army in order to assess the damage and the needs of survivors in the earthquake affected areas.
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
that killed two people, injured more than 220 and left at least 2,000 people homeless in north western Peloponese, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, on June 8, 2008. The earthquake hit the area at 1525 EET
Eastern European Time
Eastern European Time is one of the names of UTC+02:00 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in some European countries that also use Eastern European Summer Time as a summer daylight saving time.- Usage :...
(1325 UTC), with a moment magnitude
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
of 6.5, according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute. It was strongly felt as far away as in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and in parts of southern Italy. The US Geological Survey reported that the quake had a magnitude of 6.3. The epicenter of the tremor was located about 15 miles (32 km) southwest of the Greek port city of Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
, at a depth of 10 km. Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos
Prokopis Pavlopoulos
Prokopis K. Pavlopoulos is a Greek lawyer, university professor and politician. In 2004-2009 he was Minister for the Interior .-Academic career:Pavlopoulos studied at and was an...
dispatched rescue and recovery teams (including members of five government agencies), the Red Cross and units of the army in order to assess the damage and the needs of survivors in the earthquake affected areas.
Tectonic summary
According to the USGS:
The earth's crust and lithosphere in the eastern Mediterranean constitute a broad boundary region between three major tectonic plates, the Eurasia, Africa, and Arabia plates. The motions of these major plates drive smaller microplates, and it is the shapes and motions of these smaller plates that determine the locations and focal mechanisms of most intraplate earthquakes in the region.
The earthquake of June 8, 2008, was generated by stresses resulting from the motion of the small Aegean Sea plate southwest with respect to the Eurasia plate with a velocity of about 30 mm/y. The boundary between the Aegean plate and the Eurasia plate in central Greece is diffuse. Seismicity is concentrated in east-trending and northeast-trending zones of deformation. The east-trending zones are characterized by predominantly normal faulting. The northeast-trending zones are characterized by predominately strike-slip faulting earthquakes. The focal-mechanism of the earthquake of June 8 is consistent with the shock having been caused by strike-slip faulting similar to that occurring within the northeast-trending zones. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the largest crustal earthquakes of central Greece have had magnitudes of about 7.2.
See also
- 2006 Southern Greece earthquake
- 2008 Dodecanese earthquake2008 Dodecanese earthquakeThe 2008 Dodecanese earthquake, on 15 July 2008, was an earthquake near Kattavia on the island of Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The quake struck at 06:26 a.m. local time and one woman was killed when she slipped and fell as she tried to flee her home. However, the earthquake did...