Earthquake Shakes Crete, Felt in Israel

Israelis were woken up to a light earthquake on Wednesday morning after a tremor struck the Greek island of Crete, in the Mediterranean Sea.

There were no reports of injuries or damage following the earthquake.

The Seismology Division of the Geological Survey of Israel reported that the earthquake was at a 5.7 magnitude at a depth of 35km, south of Crete.

Israelis across the country reported feeling the tremor.

Crete was hit by a similar magnitude 5.7 earthquake on Sunday.

On October 12, a powerful magnitude 6.3 earthquake rocked Crete, two weeks after another tremor on the island killed a man and damaged hundreds of buildings.

Crete is situated on the Hellenic arc which is known for its frequent and violent seismic activity and is the center of Europe’s deadliest earthquakes. The island of Crete lies above a convergent boundary where the Aegean Sea and African plates meet. This makes the region prone to large earthquakes and tsunamis.

Israel itself experiences earthquakes from time to time. It is situated on the East African Rift, which runs through the Jordan Valley, on the border with Jordan, an area prone to earthquakes.

The last major earthquake to hit the region occurred in 1927 — a 6.2-magnitude tremor that killed 500 people and injured another 700.

Experts on the issue say that Israel experiences a devastating earthquake every 100 years and have warned that such a disastrous occurrence is just a question of time.