Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake to the northwest of the island of Samos.

The Geodynamics Institute of the National Observatory of Athens recorded a Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake at a depth of 12.8 km, beneath the Aegean Sea, about 15 km to the northwest of the island of Samos, at about 1.10 pm local time (about 11.10 am GMT) on Wednesday 31 August 2022. No damage or injuries have been reported following this event, but people have reported feeling the event across much of the Aegean region, the eastern Greek mainland, and western Anatolia.

The approximate location of the 31 August 2022 Samos Earthquake. USGS.

The Aegean Sea is underlain by 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, which runs to the south of the Greek Islands from Cyprus to Crete then northwest under the Ionian sea parallel to the Peloponnesian Coast. 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.

Simplified map of the plate movements of the eastern Mediterranean. Univeriteit Utrecht.

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Magnitude 5.3 Earthquake off the Athos Peninsula, Greece.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.3 Earthquake at a depth of 9.3 km, beneath the Aegean Sea, off the south coast of the Athos Peninsula in northeast Greece, slightly before 1.50 pm local time (slightly before 11.50 am GMT) on Sunday 16 January 2022. No damage or injuries have been reported following this event, but people have reported feeling the event from much of Chalkidiki and Thessaloniki. 

The approximate location of the 16 January 2022 Greek Earthquake. USGS.

The Aegean Sea is underlain by 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, which runs to the south of the Greek Islands from Cyprus to Crete then northwest under the Ionian sea parallel to the Peloponnesian Coast. 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.

 

Simplified map of the plate movements of the eastern Mediterranean. Univeriteit Utrecht.

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Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake to the south of Crete felt around much of the eastern Mediterranean.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake at a depth of 70.6 km,to the south of the island of Crete, slightly before 7.10 am local time (slightly before 5.10 am GMT) on Wednesday 29 December 2021. No damage or injuries have been reported following this event, but people have reported feeling the quake as far away as Sicily, southern Anatolia, and the Egyptian cities of Alexandria and Cairo.

 

The approximate location of the 29 December 2021 Crete Earthquake. USGS.

The island of Crete lies to the north of the boundary between the Aegean Sea Plate, which underlies southern Greece, and the African Plate, which underlies most of the Mediterranean. The African Plate is moving northward relative to the Aegean Sea Plate, and is being subducted beneath it along the Hellenic Trench, which runs from the Ionian Sea to the south and west of the Peloponnese and then to the south of Crete. 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.

 

To the east the Arabian Plate  is being pushed north and west by the movement of the African Plate, further to the south. This leads to a zone of tectonic activity within the province, as the Arabian and Anatolian plates are pushed together, along the East Anatolian Fault, and past one-another, along the Dead Sea Transform.

 

This movement also leads to a zone of faulting along the northern part of Turkey, the North Anatolian Fault Zone, as the Anatolian Plate is pushed past the Eurasian Plate, which underlies the Black Sea and Crimean Peninsula  (transform faulting). This is not a simple process, as the two plates constantly stick together, then break apart as the pressure builds up, leading to Earthquakes, which can be some distance from the actual fault zone.  

 

Simplified map of the plate movements of the eastern Mediterranean. Univeriteit Utrecht.

 

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Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake in central Croatia kills at least seven.

The Centre Sismologique Euro-Méditerranéen recorded a Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km, roughly 3 km to the southwest of the town of Petrinja in central Croatia, slightly before 12.20 pm local time (slightly before 11.20 am GMT) on Tuesday 29 2020. The Earthquake is reported to have caused significant damage, with at least seven fatalities, and was felt across much of Europe. Several aftershocks have been reported following the initial event.

 

The approximate location of the 29 December 2020 Croatian Earthquake. USGS.

Five of the reported casualties occurred in the village of Glina, which is reported to have been completely destroyed by the Earthquake. A twelve-year-old girl has died in the town of Petrinja, where about half of the buildings were either destroyed or are currently thought unsafe to use. A seventh person was found dead in a collapsed church in the village of Žažina. In addition to the known fatalities, twenty six people are being treated in hospitals for a variety of injuries, and many more have been made homeless by the event, with many being temporarily rehomed in emergency accommodation at a nearby military base. Much of the area has also lost its electricity supplies.

 

Rescue workers clearing debris and searching for survivors following a Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake in Croatia on 29 December 2020. Damir Sencar/AFP/Getty Images.

Croatia, and the other states of the western Balkan Peninsula, form the eastern margin of the Adriatic Plate, a piece of the African Plate that has broken away and is now wedged into the southern part of the Eurasian Plate. This is being squeezed by the impact of Africa into Europe from the south, which is pushing western Italy, which sits on the Eurasian Plate, to the east, and Greece and Turkey, which sit on the Aegean and Anatolian Plates, to the west. This squeezing leads to uplift around the margins of the Adriatic Plate, in the Apennines Mountain Range of central Italy and the mountain ranges of the west Balkan Peninsula.

 

Outline map showing the approximate positions of the Eurasian (EU), Adriatic (AD) and African (AF) Plates. Di Bucci & Mazzuli (2003).

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Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake in North Macedonia.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake at a depth of about 8.5 km, about 8 km southwest of the village of Vrutok in North Macedonia slightly before 4.55 am local time (slightly before 3.55 am GMT) on Wednesday 11 November 2020. This was felt across North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, southern Serbia, and parts of Bulgaria, but there are no reports of any damage or injuries.

The approximate location of the 11 November 2020 North Macedonia County, Earthquake. USGS.

North Macedonia, and the other states of the western Balkan Peninsula, form the eastern margin of the Adriatic Plate, a piece of the African Plate that has broken away and is now wedged into the southern part of the Eurasian Plate. This is being squeezed by the impact of Africa into Europe from the south, which is pushing western Italy, which sits on the Eurasian Plate, to the east, and Greece and Turkey, which sit on the Aegean and Anatolian Plates, to the west. This squeezing leads to uplift around the margins of the Adriatic Plate, in the Apennines Mountain Range of central Italy and the mountain ranges of the west Balkan Peninsula.

 

Outline map showing the approximate positions of the Eurasian (EU), Adriatic (AD) and African (AF) Plates. Di Bucci & Mazzuli (2003).

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.

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