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Sunday, June 1, 2014
New Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake Shakes Crete
A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck south of the Greek island of Crete at 3.05 pm on Sunday. A few hours before this shock, the Greek island was rattled by an other, 4.2 magnitude quake. According to USGS, the epicenter was 10km (6,2mi) under sea-level, 93km south of the city of Rethymnon. There have been no reports of injuries or damage. The Mediterranean region is seismically active due to the northward convergence (4-10 mm/yr) of the African plate with respect to the Eurasian plate along a complex plate boundary. Greece lies within this seismically active area. Earthquakes have historically caused widespread damage across central and southern Greece, the island of Crete, Cyprus, Sicily and other neighboring regions. In January, a series of strong earthquakes on the western island of Kefalonia damaged hundreds of homes and injured more than a dozen people.