2008 Peloponnese earthquake
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Map showing the epicenter of the earthquake
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| Date | June 8, 2008 |
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| Magnitude | 6.2 Mw |
| Depth | 100 km |
| Epicenter | 38.029°N, 21.464°E |
| Countries or regions |  Greece |
| Max. intensity | VIII - Destructive[1] |
| Casualties | 2 dead; 227 injured |
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.[2] The US Geological Survey reported that the quake had a magnitude of 6.3.[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.[3] 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.[4] [5]
[edit] Tectonic summary
According to the USGS:[6]
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.
[edit] References
- ^ M 6.3 - SOUTHERN GREECE
- ^ "Quake fears force Greek villages to evacuate". CNN. 2008-06-09. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20080612035547/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/09/greece.quake.ap/. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
- ^ a b "Magnitude 6.3 - Greece" Earthquake Hazards Program, United States Geological Survey
- ^ "Strong earthquake jolts Greece". CNN. 2008-06-08. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/08/greece.quake/index.html. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
- ^ "Two killed by large Greek quake". BBC. 2008-06-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7442705.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
- ^ Magnitude 6.3 - GREECE
[edit] See also
Coordinates: 38°01′44″N 21°27′50″E / 38.029°N 21.464°E
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