Strong and shallow M6.6 earthquake hits near the coast of Cyprus
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.6 hit near the coast of Cyprus at 01:07 UTC on January 11, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 19.6 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.5 at a depth of 51 km (31.7 miles).
The epicenter was located 49 km (30 miles) WNW of Polis (population 1 975) and 115 km (72 miles) WNW of Limassol (population 154 000), Cyprus).
There are about 170 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles).
75 000 people are estimated to have felt moderate shaking and 3 385 000 light.
A tsunami warning was issued and later recalled.
While the quake was felt across the island, there are no reports of damage or casualties.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
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.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
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.
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