May 24, 2014 Earthquake: Greece, Turkey

Ref #13456:

More than 100 people injured on Gokceada and in northwestern Turkey. Some buildings damaged in Canakkale. Felt (VI) at Canakkale and Edirne; (V) at Esenyurt. Felt (V) at Alexandroupoli, Greece. Felt (IV) at Plovdiv and Sofia, Bulgaria. Also felt in parts of Israel, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia. Atsiki, Lesvos, Greece - CDI: 9; Kamariotissa, Evros, Greece - CDI: 8; Didimotikhon, Evros, Greece - CDI: 8

Tectonic Summary

The May 24, 2014 M 6.9 earthquake south of the island of Samothraki, Greece, occurred as the result of strike-slip faulting at shallow depths beneath the northern Aegean Sea. Preliminary faulting mechanisms for the event indicate slip occurred on either a SSE-NNW trending left-lateral fault, or on a WSW-ENE trending right lateral structure. The location of the earthquake and orientation of the WSW-ENE nodal plane are consistent with right-lateral faulting within the North Aegean Trough. Right-lateral strike-slip faults within this trough (also called the Saros Trough at its eastern extent) and the surrounding region accommodate the westward motion of Turkey and associated southwestward motion of the Aegean region with respect to Eurasia. Faults within the North Aegean Trough represent the northern branch of the North Anatolian fault system, the major transform faulting structure in northern Turkey accommodating the westward motion of the Anatolian microplate with respect to Eurasia, at a rate of approximately 25 mm/yr...

Seismotectonics of the Mediterranean Region and Vicinity

The Mediterranean region is seismically active due to the northward convergence (from 4 mm/yr at the Strait of Gibraltar to 10 mm/yr near western Turkey) of the Africa (AF) plate with respect to the Eurasia (EU) plate, along an east-west trending boundary. This plate boundary is complex, comprising segments of subduction and associated back-arc extension, continental collision, and transform faults. AF-EU convergence began at approximately 50 Ma and was associated with the closure of the Tethys Sea as it subducted northward beneath Eurasia; the Mediterranean Sea is the modern remnant of the Tethys...

Ref #10978:

The quake caused 266 injuries in Turkey, including one person who was in serious condition, according to the government's emergency and disaster management agency. The injuries were mostly the result of panic, caused as people tried to rush out of buildings... The temblor was widely felt, including in Thessaloniki, the west coast of Turkey and as far away as Bulgaria and Istanbul. Turkey's emergency and disaster management agency said there were close to 70 aftershocks, the strongest measuring 5.5. The quake damaged some buildings in the province, including two mosques, but there were no reports of any structures collapsing. Also in Canakkale, patients were evacuated from a state hospital whose walls cracked. Authorities were setting up a field hospital to take care of patients, the Dogan news agency reported. A duty officer at the Lemnos police precinct said a female British tourist was slightly injured at the airport when part of the ceiling fell. She was treated at the scene and did not require hospitalization. No other damage or injuries had been reported.

Ref #1250:

Three deaths, 75002 affected, $4,500 million damage.

Ref #12975:

Strong ground shaking was widely felt across Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria including the major cities of Canakkale, Thessaloniki, Edirne, Plovdiv, Izmir and! Istanbul.However, with the exception of Canakkale no damage has been reported in these cities [...] about 321 people were temporarily hospitalised, most with minor injuries. Canakkale province damage to 300 buildings, 3 mosques. Island of Lemos collapses of 11 uninhabitated houses, damages to 2 churches, 3 schools and tens of houses.