3 Earthquakes Strike Greece
Pastor Dale Morgan
3 Earthquakes Strike Greece*
The Associated Press
Friday, November 9, 2007; 4:40 AM
ATHENS, Greece -- Three moderate earthquakes struck Greece's eastern
Aegean Sea area early Friday, rattling residents of nearby islands,
monitoring agencies said. There were no immediate reports of damage or
injuries.
The first and strongest quake, with a magnitude of 4.9, occurred at 3:43
a.m. local time with an epicenter beneath the seabed about 125 miles
east-northeast of the capital, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
It occurred just north of the small island of Psara, the Athens
Geodynamic Institute said.
A second quake, with a magnitude of 4.5, occurred at 9:07 a.m.,
according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre. It was
followed a few minutes later by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake, the USGS
said. The two follow-up quakes had almost the same epicenter.
"The aftershocks were quite strong, but fortunately we have no
structural damage to homes," Psara Mayor Manolis Agapoussis told Greek
television.
Seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos, director of research at the Athens
Geodynamic Institute, said that the first earthquake "was a strong
quake. There were many small aftershocks and two stronger events this
morning _ but this is normal aftershock activity."
"This activity is a relief because it suggests the main danger is over.
The site of the epicenter makes it difficult to damage buildings," he said.
Greece lies in one of the world's most active earthquake zones. In 1999,
a 5.9-magnitude quake near the capital killed 143 people, injured about
2,000 and left thousands more homeless.