Crete hit by 4.6 quake after 5.7

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck off Crete on Saturday, April 25, after a stronger offshore quake rattled the island before dawn on Friday, April 24. (emsc-csem.org 1) (emsc-csem.org 2) The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre listed the April 25 tremor at 07:04:41 UTC, about 18 kilometers southeast of Ierapetra, at a depth of 10 kilometers. (emsc-csem.org) For the April 24 mainshock, EMSC’s event feed showed a magnitude 5.8 near Crete at 03:18 UTC, while the U.S. Geological Survey and other agencies clustered the event around magnitude 5.7 to 5.8. (emsc-csem.org) (nampa.org) EMSC’s live page identified Friday’s quake as an event in Ierápetra, Greece, and its data feed placed the epicentral area off eastern Crete near Goudouras and the Lasithi coast. (emsc-csem.org 1) (emsc-csem.org 2) (keeptalkinggreece.com) Aftershocks followed quickly. ProtoThema, citing the Geodynamic Institute, said 51 earthquakes had been recorded by 7 p.m. on April 24 after the mainshock. (en.protothema.gr) Another aftershock reached magnitude 5.0 later on April 24, according to ProtoThema’s English edition, which said it struck south of Goudouras at a focal depth of 7.7 kilometers. (en.protothema.gr) Local officials said there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries after the mainshock. Agence France-Presse reported no immediate casualties or damage, and Mayor Giorgos Zervakis of Sitia told ProtoThema there were no disaster reports. (nampa.org) (en.protothema.gr) Crete sits in one of the Mediterranean’s most active seismic zones, where the African plate pushes beneath the Aegean region and produces frequent offshore quakes. (usgs.gov 1) (usgs.gov 2) For residents and travelers, the immediate picture is not a single isolated jolt but a short earthquake sequence centered off eastern Crete, with monitoring still focused on aftershocks rather than confirmed major damage. (emsc-csem.org) (en.protothema.gr)