© Vasiliki Mouslopoulou, GFZScientists look for remnants of paleo shorelines on western Crete. Red and blue arrows indicate paleo shorelines formed during the last 2,000 years and are today elevated up to 8 meters (26 feet).
There is more seismic activity in the eastern Mediterranean than was previously thought, and a study about this was recently accepted for publication in the journal
Geophysical Research Letters.Historically in the long stretch of geological time, seismic activity near and around Crete has stirred up bursts of earthquakes, and this may increase the region's future risk of earthquakes and tsunamis, according to
a release.Several tectonic plates are in the Mediterranean basin, caused by the African and Eurasian Plates crashing together there. While scientists have been aware that the collision between the two plates can make the eastern part of that sea and land area susceptible to earthquakes, they've also been confused by the region having gone through only two (known) earthquakes larger than 8 on the Richter scale in 4,000 years.
The African Plate goes under the Aegean microplate just south of Crete. This occurs in an area shaped like an arc, which is called the Hellenic margin. The scientists in the study looked at the history of earthquakes in this subduction zone, to learn what could drive mega-earthquakes in the area.
