Shallow M6.1 earthquake hits off the coast of Crete, eastern Mediterranean Sea

A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) as M6.1 hit off the coast of Crete, Greece at 05:32 UTC on October 19, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 58 km (36 miles). The USGS is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 37.8 km (23.5 miles); EMSC M5.9 at a depth of 60 km (37.3 miles).

The epicenter was located 149 km (93 miles) SE of Karpathos (population 2 243), Greece, and 235 km (146 miles) SW of Demre (population 14 420), Turkey.

There are no people living within 100 km (62 miles).

1 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking.

The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake-resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block and dressed stone/block masonry construction.

Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.

Image credit: TW/SAM, Google

Regional seismicity

Featured image credit: TW/SAM, Google