Strong earthquake rattles Athens

[maddezmom]

ATHENS (Reuters) - A strong earthquake shook central Athens at 1130 GMT (6:30 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, witnesses said, but there were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.

The earthquake lasted for about seven seconds and Greek television said it was felt as far away as 200 km (120 miles) north of the capital.

In September 1999, an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale struck Athens, killing at least 143 people and leaving 60,000 people homeless.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060108/wl_nm/greece_quake_dc_1

Not much info so far, :(

[Behind the Aegis]

1. Wrath of Poseidon

Greece has suffered horrible earthquakes since her birth, especially Athens for choosing Athena over Poseidon as a protectorate.

Mythology aside, the Greeks, especially the Athenians, are a resilient group. I pray any damage is minor and no lives were lost. The oldest buildings usually fare the best.

S'agapo Hellas!

[Oversea Visitor]

2. 7 seven earthquake

MEANS bad earthquake incoming grrrrr.
Better people there becareful.

[HereSince1628]

3. USGS has it registered as a 6.7

This would have happened mid-day, hopefully that will help keep the casualties low...

[Behind the Aegis]

4. 6.5 to 6.9

Reports from Ha'aretz are saying the shock was felt in Cairo!

[rainbow4321]

5. Powerful quake rattles Greece--(felt in Middle East and Italy)

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/010906dnintgreecequake.5a8ec9f8.html

A powerful earthquake shook Greece on Sunday and was felt as far away as the Middle East and Italy. Minor damage was reported in southern Greece, and authorities on the island of Crete said three people were slightly injured.


The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the epicenter of the 6.9-magnitude quake was located beneath the seabed about 125 miles south of Athens and 12 miles east of the island of Kithira in the Sea of Crete.

“It was a very powerful quake which shook all of Greece. There have been dozens of aftershocks,” institute head Giorgos Stavrakakis said. “The quake occurred deep undersea and that's what saved us.” Stavrakakis said he did not expect any serious aftershocks.

<snip>

Clarice Nassif Ransom, a U.S. Geological Survey spokeswoman in Washington, said scientists project that as many as 6 million people may have felt the earthquake. The USGS reported the magnitude at 6.7.

[Hermosa Beach Dem]

6. We all know who to blame for this one......

Seems like earthquakes are occuring more frequently, and probably due to global warming....yet another thing to lay at the feet of Bush....

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

7. No.

First of all, earthquakes are not occurring "more frequently." Actually, since you don't even define the baseline as "more frequently than period X" it's impossible to take your comment seriously at all.

Second, earthquakes have nothing to do with global warming. Nothing. There are literally tons of exciting ways in which climate and geology interact, but they do not interact on the scale of large earthquakes, volcanoes, or other tectonic phenomena.

Of course you were probably being sarcastic with your post, but enough people actually believe this rubbish that I feel the need to dispel these myths on occasion.