Cyprus’ strong quake on Tuesday was caused because it is located in an area of intense seismic activity near the junction between the Eurasian and the African tectonic plate.
Scientific research shows that Africa is drifting north and pressing against the tectonic plate of the Eurasian continent.
And that this same collision had crumpled the Earth’s crust to create the Alps as well as caused quakes in neighboring Egypt that were recorded in the time of the pharaohs 4,000 years ago.
Tuesday’s magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurred at 3:08 in the morning at a depth of 19 km, about 40 km from the Paphos shore.
The earthquake was strongly felt by the population in many places in Cyprus but only minor damages were recorded.
Nonetheless, the Association of Civil Engineers of Cyprus expressed concern regarding the static adequacy and safety of old buildings during earthquakes such as the latest one.
At the same time, a Geological Survey spokesman said no damage was caused due to the epicenter of the earthquake which was identified in the sea area and at great depth.
The situation would be different if te quake had occurred on land space.
