Shallow M5.3 earthquake, aftershocks hit near capital Athens, Greece
Image credit: Google, TW/SAM
A shallow earthquake registered by the EMSC as M5.3 hit 23 km (14 miles) NW of Athens, Greece at 11:13 UTC (14:13 local time) on July 19, 2019. The agency is reporting a depth of 13 km (8 miles). Athens Institute of Geodynamics gave it a preliminary magnitude of 5.1, the USGS M5.3.
The quake was preceded by M3.2, M2.5 and M2.7 at 11:33, 11:40 and 11:51 UTC, respectively, and followed by M2.5, M2.6, M3.6 and M4.2 at 11:55, 12:07, 12:28 and 14:12 UTC.
Credit: Google, TW/SAM. Data provider: EMSC
According to local media reports, it caused limited power cuts and communication problems, and trapped people in elevators.
Bell tower of the Pantanassa church in Athens was damaged as well as other buildings in Attica but there were no reports of injuries.
A senior seismologist at the Institute of Geodynamics, Gerasimos Papadopoulos, said the quake was felt across southern Greece due to its shallow depth.
"It is too early to say whether this was the main earthquake, but there have been aftershocks of magnitude 3.5, 2.5 and 3.2 – and that is encouraging. We need more time and data to have a clear picture."
The most powerful quake to hit Athens in the past 20 years occurred was M5.8 on September 7, 1999. It caused extensive damage and killed 143 people.
Regional seismicity
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.