A 5.1-magnitude struck off the south coast of Kassos, northeast of Crete, early Friday morning.
According to the Greek Institute of Geodynamics, the 59km-deep quake hit 21km southwest of Kassos and 28km south of Karpathos in the southern Dodecanese islands.
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.
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!
