The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake at a depth of 65.3 km roughly 2 km off the southeast coast of the Dodecanese island of Karpathos, slightly before 2.35 am local time (slightly before 0.35 am GMT) on Friday 13 June 2014. People have reported feeling this quake on Karpathos and Rhodes, but not on nearby Crete. There are no reports of any damage or casualties.
The approximate location of the 13 June 2014 Karpathos Earthquake. Google Maps.
The Dodecanese Islands are located on the southern part of the Aegean Sea Plate, a small tectonic plate caught between the African Plate to the south, the Anatolian Plate to the east and the Eurasian Plate to the northwest. The Anatolian Plate is being pushed to the west by the northward movement of the Arabian Plate to the east, pushing the Aegean Plate south and west into collision with the northward moving African Plate. Part of the African Plate is being subducted beneath the Aegean Plate along the Hellenic Trench, to the south of the Dodecanese. This is not a smooth process, as the plates frequently stick together then break apart once the pressure has built up sufficiently, leading to (fairly frequent) Earthquakes.
See also...
The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake at a depth of 36.2 km roughly 30 km off the west coast...
A Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake at a depth of 9.7 km occurred roughly 50 km to the south of the Greek island of Crete slightly before 5.00...
On Wednesday 12 September, slightly before 6.30 am, local time (slightly before 3.30 am GMT) the United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake 50 km south of western Crete, close to the island of Nísos Gávdos, at a depth of 27.4 km. No injuries or damage have been reported, but the quake is likely to have been felt across most of Crete.
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