5.7 magnitude earthquake in Aegean Sea rattles cities in Turkey and Greece

January 8, 2013 – GREECE – An earthquake centered beneath the Aegean Sea shook cities and islands in Turkey and Greece on Tuesday, causing panic in some areas but no injuries or damage, officials said. The Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory said the quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 (5.7 USGS), occurred at 4:16 p.m. (1416 GMT) off the coast from Turkey’s northwestern Canakkale province. The earthquake was felt in the Turkish cities of Istanbul and Izmir, and their environs, officials said. “It was one of the strongest earthquakes we have experienced,” Mustafa Mutay, the mayor of the Turkish island of Bozcaada off Canakkale, told the state-run Anadolu Agency. “There was some panic during the quake, but things have returned to normal and there is no damage.” The Athens Geodynamic Institute in Greece put the magnitude at 5.8 and said the temblor occurred between the Greek islands of Lemnos and Lesvos, near the Turkish coast. The quake was mildly felt in Athens. The U.S. Geological Survey gave a preliminary magnitude of 5.7. Earthquakes are common in Turkey and Greece, both of which lie atop active fault lines. –ABC

Nepal hit by 2^nd earthquake in 7 days: Far Western region of Nepal was hit by an earthquake measuring 5.5 (5.0 USGS) on the Richter Scale at 1:29 pm on Wednesday. The National Seismological Center(NSC), Surkhet told THT Online that the epicentre of the quake was north of Bajura. The shake was felt in its neighboring districts Baitadi and Bajhang. The details are yet to emerge about the damage created by the quake. This is the second quake in seven day in Western Nepal. The earlier quake shook the Midwest region of Nepal with a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter scale on January 2. Earthquake ranging from 5.5 to 6.0 magnitudes has slight chances of damaging buildings and other structures. –Himalayan Times