From time immemorial, the fertile lands of Greece have been subject to such misfortunes as earthquakes. An “almighty” person cannot influence the pranks of Mother Nature, but can only predict some impending disasters. An earthquake in Greece is not uncommon, but you cannot call it ordinary.
Greece from the point of view of seismologists
The increased tectonic activity in this zone is due to the fact that Greece is located exactly where two lithospheric plates meet: Eurasian and African. Their merger began 50 million years ago and continues to this day.
The most seismically active region of the Mediterranean is considered the southern part of Greece, under which there is a volcanic arc, causing faults in the earth's crust.
Before the invention of seismic instruments, Greek scientists for many centuries kept a peculiar chronicle of earthquakes, according to which these lands shook with enviable regularity.
The most famous and terrible earthquakes in Greece
According to the writings of Plutarch and other famous ancient Greek historians in 464 BC, a monstrous earthquake occurred in Sparta, which claimed more than 20,000 human lives. This event served as an impetus to the revolt of the slaves and became the cause of the Lesser Peloponnesian War.
The earthquake in Greece on the island of Rhodes, which occurred in 226 BC, caused the destruction of one of the seven wonders of the world - the statue of the Colossus of Rhodes.
The Greeks have a legend about the fate of the old statue, which also fell apart from strong tremors. The wise elders did not consider this a coincidence and predicted that at the end of the third version of the Colossus, a powerful earthquake in Greece would hide Rhodes under water.
Interestingly, there really are projects to revive this miracle of the world. As far as the ancients were right, one can only guess.
In the summer of 365, the strongest tsunami swept through the southeast of the Mediterranean Sea and claimed tens of thousands of lives. This natural disaster was caused by high tectonic activity near the island of Crete.
After almost a thousand years, in 1303, this site was again subjected to a powerful earthquake of magnitude about 8 on the Richter scale. About 10,000 people died, many buildings, including the Lighthouse of Alexandria, were seriously damaged.
Are there earthquakes in Greece in our time?
September 7, 1999 tremors of 5.9 points were observed in the heart of Greece - Athens. Tens of thousands of citizens were left without a roof over their heads, 143 people became victims of the disaster.
In January 2006, an earthquake occurred in Kythira, in 2008 - on the Peloponnese and the Dodecanese Islands, in 2014 - on Lemnos.
The last increased seismic activity was noted on the night of September 27, 2016 on the same long-suffering island of Rhodes.
Thanks to modern equipment, an earthquake in Greece, as in any other corner of the planet, can be predicted. This allows timely evacuation and avoid unnecessary casualties.