The strong earthquake that shook the Greek island of Lefkada a few days ago, made the whole island move. According to experts the 6.1 Richter earthquake caused the displacement of the island by 36 cm.
Athanasios Ganas, Director of the Geodynamic Institute of Athens noted that the island moved towards the south. It is a big movement that surprised us, said Ganas. “It makes sense after this quake” said seismologist-researcher Gerassimos Chouliaras. A similar movement happened and on Cephalonia after the earthquake on January 2014, he added.
However Lefkada’s displacement is “one of the biggest shifts that have taken place in Greece” according to the institute director.
Since the earthquake’s focal point was essentially on the island, 120 houses were damaged and 20 of them were deemed unsuitable for use. However, it shows that the structures endured, especially since the two tragic deaths that occurred did not occur due to buildings collapsing.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
