Very Strong earthquake in the Mediterranean Sea in between Cyprus and Turkey
Last update: December 28, 2013 at 7:11 pm by By Ashish Khanal
IMPORTANT UPDATE 18:59 UTC :
RUMORS are currently circulating that a massive earthquake might strike soon along the Turkish coast. We want to stress that NOBODY in the world can currently predict the time and the strength of an earthquake. Aftershocks are a normal process and may go on for days and even weeks. Most of them will not be felt as they are occurring below the sea floor. So, PLEASE NEVER BELIEVE RUMORS AND BE ALWAYS PREPARED FOR A STRONG EARTHQUAKE.
Update 18:14 UTC : Somebody reported that the power failures in some places were due to a thunderstorm and NOT the earthquake
Update 17:14 UTC : Some shore locations in Turkey (like Sorgun) have a power failure and are hotels are currently working on emergency diesel generators.
Update 16:55 UTC : Numerous aftershocks are occurring in the epicenter area in the sea. Only a few of them will have been felt by people.
Update 16:41 UTC : Power failures are reported in parts of Cyprus. Until now we have not received (as expected) any report of injuries or serious damage.
Update 16:32 UTC : Instead of panicking during the shaking of an earthquake, people (also tourists) should read on “what to do if shaking starts”. Internationally accepted measures are definitely NOT running outside. In case of a very strong earthquake you can’t even walk anymore! Click here to read the instructions (in case it happens again)
Update 16:23 UTC : Reports of panic are being received. Other reports are confirming cracks in walls of hotels (and probably also of residential houses).
Update 16:22 UTC : Contrary to what could be expected based on the theoretical intensity values of the map below, our readers are reporting in average a light to moderate shaking (MMI IV and V) ! We know from our experience that earthquakes with a rupture point at an intermediate depth of 50 km are perceived as stronger than theoretically calculated.
Update 15:57 UTC : We have received an experience report from a reader in Side who has seen some small fissures in the wall. Anyone else seeing this kind of small damage, please send in your Experience report with the form below.
Update : This is how this earthquake looks like on a seismogram of the region.
The light blue shaded area on the map shows the theoretical shaking (max. weak shaking) of this earthquake.
Update 15:31 UTC : USGS has just published even better numbers than initially reported. The Magnitude has been decreased to 5.8 at a depth of 51 km. This makes that it was felt in a wide radius, BUT that it will normally NOT generate serious damage.
Update 15:28 UTC : There is NO danger for a tsunami at this magnitude.
Update 15:26 UTC : Based on the preliminary data we see at this moment, we expect NO serious damage in Cyprus or Turkey as the epicenter is below the Mediterranean Sea at a depth of 40 to 50 km.
80km (50mi) SSW of Avsallar, Turkey
86km (53mi) SW of Alanya, Turkey
89km (55mi) S of Manavgat, Turkey
93km (58mi) SE of Tekirova, Turkey
204km (127mi) WNW of Nicosia, Cyprus
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 6
Local Time (conversion only below land) : Unknown
GMT/UTC Time : 2013-12-28 15:21:03
from: http://earthquake-report.com/2013/12/28/very-strong-earthquake-cyprus-region-on-december-28-2013/