2018 Ionian Sea earthquake

37°30′22″N 20°33′47″E / 37.506°N 20.563°E / 37.506; 20.563Max. intensityMMI VII (Very strong)Tsunami~20 cmAftershocks172 M 4.0+ (As of November 15, 2018)[1] Casualties3 injured

A strong earthquake measuring magnitude Mw 6.8 occurred in the Ionian Sea near the coasts of Greece during the night between 25 and 26 October 2018 at 22:54:51 UTC (01:54:51 in Greece).[2] Sea level changes were predicted,[3] and a tsunami advisory was issued.[4] Reports of sea level change of up to 20 centimeters were reported in Greece and Italy.[5]

The epicenter was located about 133 km from Patras. The earthquake occurred 14 km below the surface.[5] Power outages were reported on the island of Zakynthos, and a 15th century monastery was also damaged on the islands of Strofades.[6][5] The port of Zakynthos also sustained major damage, and a state of emergency was declared in the municipality.[7] Services around Zakynthos were affected, and schools were closed on October 26.[8] Tax relief was also extended into January in order to support the local tourism industry.[9]

Other structures were damaged, but despite the magnitude of the event, there were no reported serious injuries or casualties.[10] About 120 homes were left uninhabitable, and the town laterally shifted 5 centimeters as a result of the earthquake.[11] A strict building code was cited as a possible reason for the limited amount of damage, as Zakynthos suffered major damage from a 1953 earthquake.[8][5]

The event was felt in eight countries, including in the Balkans, Italy, Malta as well as coasts of Africa and Turkey.[12][13]

The main shock was followed by multiple aftershocks in the following days, including undersea aftershocks of magnitude 4.4 and 5 over a week after the initial earthquake.[14] The largest reported aftershock was of magnitude 5.6 the day of the initial earthquake.[15]

References

  1. ^ "USGS earthquake catalog".
  2. ^ "Earthquake, Magnitude 6.8 - IONIAN SEA - 2018 October 25, 22:54:51 UTC". EMSC-CSEM. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  3. ^ "Earthquake, Magnitude 6.8 - IONIAN SEA - 2018 October 25, 22:54:51 UTC". EMSC-CSEM. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  4. ^ "Overall Green Earthquake alert in Greece on 25 Oct 2018 22:54 UTC". www.gdacs.org. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  5. ^ a b c d "6.8 magnitude earthquake impacts Greek island". abc.net.au. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Strong quake off Greece, no early reports of damage, injuries". Reuters. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  7. ^ "Zakynthos quake prompts state of emergency". Ekathimerini.com.
  8. ^ a b "Schools and services in Zakynthos to remain closed after massive earthquake hits". 2018-10-26. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  9. ^ "Tourism flows to Zakynthos strong: No quake impact, say hoteliers". 5 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Watch the moment the 6.4 earthquake struck in Zakynthos (videos)". Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  11. ^ Kokkinidis, Tasos (3 November 2018). "Two earthquakes jolt Greece's Ionian islands on Saturday". Greekreporter.com. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  12. ^ EMSC [@LastQuake] (October 26, 2018). "M6.8 #earthquake was a truly international quake felt up to 800 km in at least 8 countries (Malta, Libya, Italy, Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Turkey) https://t.co/gt2oVn5tLS" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "Powerful quake shakes western Greece, no major injuries". Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  14. ^ "Two earthquake aftershocks felt on Zakynthos Island". 2018-11-04.
  15. ^ "Quake damages harbor, knocks out some power on Greek island". Archived from the original on 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2018-11-05.

Further reading

  • Efthimios Sokos, František Gallovič, Christos P. Evangelidis, Anna Serpetsidaki, Vladimír Plicka, Jan Kostelecký, Jiří Zahradník; The 2018 Mw 6.8 Zakynthos, Greece, Earthquake: Dominant Strike‐Slip Faulting near Subducting Slab. Seismological Research Letters doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0220190169
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  • † indicates earthquake resulting in at least 30 deaths
  • ‡ indicates the deadliest earthquake of the year
  • Dates for all earthquakes are in UTC


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