Natural disasters include earthquakes, often claiming a large number of human lives and destroying entire cities. The destructive power of phenomena is evaluated on the Richter scale, where the maximum score (12) is assigned to the most massive disaster in terms of strength. We invite you to get acquainted with the earthquake in Crete, which occurred in 2017, and some others.
Disaster Description
On July 31, 2017, it became known that an earthquake occurred off the coast of the Greek sunny island of Crete. Its magnitude is not high - 5.3 points on the Richter scale. However, the tremors were felt by the inhabitants of Crete and the population of nearby cities. As it turned out, the hypocenter of oscillations was located at a depth of more than 15 km, and the epicenter was located at a distance of about 90 km from Paleochora, a small Greek town.
How did it go?
The earthquake in Crete can not be attributed to the number of terrible disasters that hit the planet, however, it caused many problems to the inhabitants of Greece. Consider how this natural disaster occurred :
- At first the main push followed, it was at 21:29.
- Then, a series of aftershocks of magnitude 3 to 3.8 points followed within 48 hours. The total number of underground strikes, according to the Greek Institute of Geodynamics, was 14.
Recall that the main push is the largest blow coming from the epicenter and determining the strength of the disaster. Aftershocks are repeated seismic strikes, much less destructive. They are the strongest in the first hours after the main shock, then they become less noticeable.
Destructive force
The earthquake on the island of Crete is classified as weak, leading to minor damage. So, according to the Richter scale, magnitude 5.3 is a gentle shock, the fault at which is several meters long and vertical. With such a seismic force, furniture can tip over in homes, but the dwellings themselves, including poor quality wooden structures, will remain intact.
Subsequent tremors had a magnitude of not more than 3.8 points. With such an impact force, the damage is minimal. So, they are felt by almost all people as weak vibrations of the surface and furniture in houses, trees. Finally, when the strength of the earthquake shocks in Crete began to equal three points, the tremors began to be felt by a small number of people and only when they were indoors, the shocks were almost not perceived by the person.
More terrible disasters
Earthquakes in Crete are not a rare phenomenon, so the July 2017 event did not surprise anyone. A few years ago, in October 2013, a more terrible catastrophe of 6.2 points fell on a beautiful Greek island. The epicenter was located about 130 km from the city of Heraklion towards the northeast, and at a depth of about 80 km in the Mediterranean Sea was a hypocenter. Earthquake was quite noticeable not only in Greece, but also in Egypt, Israel and even in Malta.
After the main shock, a series of aftershocks followed, the strongest of which had 4 points. Their total number is more than 30. The damage to this seismic phenomenon was insignificant: several houses were damaged, but data on serious economic damage or casualties were not officially announced. Only shop windows were damaged.
Note that more destructive seismic shocks hit the island in ancient times. So, in 1303, an earthquake of more than 8 points caused the destruction of the Alexandria Lighthouse.
In general, earthquakes in Greece in Crete are among the common phenomena, but, as a rule, they have very low magnitude and are weak shocks that do not lead to serious damage and human casualties. The average power, as a rule, does not exceed 5 points. The island is located in a zone of seismic activity, on a tectonic fault, so its inhabitants are already accustomed to constant surface vibrations.