Since 1900, Greece had 679 earthquakes up to a magnitude of 7.7.
The strongest earthquake since 1900 occurred 67 years ago:
Major magnitude 7.7 earthquake - 19 km south of Amorgos, Cyclades, South Aegean, Greece, on Monday, July 9, 1956 at 03:11 GMT
Earthquakes in Greece:🧵
Greece is the most earthquake-prone country in Europe, as it located at the convergence of the Eurasian plate over the African one, as well as the western termination of the North Anatolian Fault Zone.
Since 1950, more than 990 people have been killed in Greece by the direct consequences of earthquakes. There were 23 earthquakes that also caused a subsequent tsunami, which claimed further lives, and cause additional damage.
The European Seismic Hazard Map displays the ground motion expected to be reached or exceeded with a 10% probability in 50 years. Blue colours indicate comparatively low hazard areas, yellow-orange colours indicate moderate hazard areas, & red colours indicate high hazard areas.
The last earthquake in Greece occurred just 3 weeks ago: Strong mag. 5.9 earthquake - Eastern Mediterranean, 79 km southeast of Rhodos, Greece, on Wednesday, Jan 25, 2023 at 2:37 pm (GMT +2).
The Hellenic arc is one of the most seismically active areas in Europe and has been the source of many historical earthquakes, some of which have caused significant damage and loss of life.
Earthquakes in this area can be as forceful as 7 to 7.5 magnitude. The area is the threshold of contact and convergence of the African with the Eurasian lithospheric plates, with the former sinking slowly but steadily at a rate of about 4.5 cm per year below the latter.
The 1999 Athens earthquake occurred on September 7
with a moment magnitude of 6.0 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). 143 people were killed, and up to 1,600 were treated for injuries in Greece's deadliest natural disaster in almost half a century.
The 1953 Ionian earthquake (known as the Great Kefalonia earthquake) M=7.2 struck the southern Ionian Islands in Greece on August 12. In mid-August, there were over 113 recorded earthquakes in the region between Kefalonia & Zakynthos, and the most destructive was on August 12.
Kefalonia, Zakynthos and Ithaca suffered from total destruction, and out of the 33,300 homes of those islands the 27,659 were completely destroyed.455 people were killed and 2412 were injured.
The earthquake of 1956 near Amorgos with the shifting of tectonic plates in a depth of 39 km resulted in 53 deaths and considerable damage, generated a local tsunami, leading to further victims and destruction.
Before 1900, the 1881 Chios earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.3 and there were an estimated 7,866 casualties. The town of Chios was devastated while in the rest of the island, 25 out of the 64 villages were destroyed with another 17 badly damaged.
In 365 AD, Crete was struck by an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.2 or higher. Virtually everything was damaged or destroyed on the island and the subsequent tsunamis caused by the tremors impacted parts of what is today Greece, Libya, Egypt, Cyprus, Italy, and Spain.
In 464 BC an earthquake destroyed ancient Sparta. Historical sources suggest that the death toll may have been as high as 20,000, although modern scholars suggest that this figure is likely an exaggeration.
According to a recent study by the University of Plymouth, the ancient Greeks may have built sacred or treasured sites deliberately on land previously affected by earthquake activity.⬇️
Fault lines created by seismic activity in the Aegean region may have caused areas to be afforded special cultural status, and as such, led to their becoming sites of much celebrated temples and great cities.
There are prominent examples to support the theory, such as in Delphi itself, where an ancient Greek sanctuary was destroyed by an earthquake in 373 BC only for its temple to be rebuilt directly on the same fault line.
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The same Turkey that refers to “insults of sacred values”& respect for religious symbols desecrated Hagia Sophia-the Christian church that was once the center of Christian Orthodox faith converting it into a mosque.
Turkey has a long tradition desecrating Christian churches.
In the church of Hagia Sophia, the Christian religious symbols have been covered with large curtains and large disks depicting the names of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad and four caliphs.
Turkey still violates places of worship, religious liberty and history unapologetically after wiping out indigenous Christians from the region. This demonstrates the Turkish government’s utter disregard for human life and cultural heritage.
Hagia Sophia is one of the most important Byzantine structures in the world; a UNESCO World Heritage Site designed by Greek architects Isidore of Miletus & Anthemius of Tralles. It was once the world’s largest interior space and the first to employ a fully pendentive dome.
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Hagia Sophia was the symbol of the greatness of the Byzantine Empire and the seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople; a Christian city of immense wealth & magnificent architecture, governed by Roman law, observed Christianity & adopted Greek as its primary language.
Hagia Sophia (from the Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία) “Holy Wisdom” it was where Emperors were crowned and victories were celebrated. The massive temple held a total of twenty-three thousand worshipers, and 525 priests, deacons, and chanters served its liturgies.
Turkish hostilities should never be dismissed as pure rhetoric; They are part of a strategy guiding Turkey’s Blue Homeland foreign policy.
An expansionist policy where Turkey as a regional superpower controls its surrounding seas & energy resources.
Behind Turkey’s gunboat diplomacy, threats of missile strikes & invasions, the intent is real and this increasingly aggressive & revisionist foreign policy posture is a constant threat to peace and security in the region. 2/7
In the Aegean, Turkey wants to limit Greek sovereign rights and exploit the rich natural gas deposits of the Aegean seabed, as well as to enclave the islands of the Eastern Aegean in an area of Turkish jurisdiction. 3/7
“The most valuable treasures of antiquity are withheld from the people whose ancestors created them and which could inspire their youth anew with the story they tell and the knowledge that their progenitors could once create such beauty.”
🏛️ The Parthenon Sculptures 🧵
The Parthenon is one of the most important edifices in all of history. Built in 447BC after the Greeks had successfully repulsed Persian invaders, it symbolised the blossoming of democracy, rule of law, philosophy, ethics, theatre, art & architecture in Western civilisation.
The temple was richly decorated with sculptures, designed by the famous artist Pheidias, which took until 432 BC to complete. These are the sculptures of gods, men and horses that were an integral part of the temple of the Parthenon and other buildings of the Acropolis of Athens.
What if Greece extends its territorial waters to 12miles in the Aegean?
Greece’s territorial waters and Turkey.
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Coastal states are entitled to claim a territorial sea, extending to a maximum of 12mi measured from the coastal baselines. This customary rule is stipulated by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. (UNCLOS)
The right to extend territorial waters is a sovereign right which can be unilaterally exercised & is not subject to any kind of restriction/exception & cannot be disputed by 3rd countries.
All islands, however small & insignificant, can generate a territorial sea of 12nmi.
Millions of people visit the Aegean Sea and its islands every year to enjoy the sun, traditional lifestyle & warmhearted people. What most don't know is that the Aegean Sea has been on a 20 million-year journey to take on the shape they see around them.🧵
The Greek word Archipelago meaning "chief sea," was originally applied specifically to the Aegean Sea and its islands. Many of the Aegean islands are actually extensions of the mountains on the mainland. Later the word came to mean a large group or chain of islands.
The islands are the main characteristic of Greece’s morphology and an integral part of the country’s culture across the ages.
The story of its creation is full of geological transformations, volcanic eruptions, island formations, extinct civilisations and mythical figures.