On February 23, 1995, at 12:03 AM EEST (21:03 UTC), a Mw 5.9 earthquake struck the Paphos District in Cyprus, with the epicenter located about 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Paphos. [1] The earthquake was felt throughout all of Cyprus, as well as some parts of northern Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey. [2] It had caused moderate damage to the surrounding area, causing houses to have little to severe damage. Two people were killed and five were injured as a result of this earthquake.

1995 Paphos Earthquake
Σεισμός Πάφου 1995
Map of Cyprus and the epicenter of the earthquake
UTC time1995-02-23 21:03:01
ISC event121165
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateFebruary 23, 1995 (February 23, 1995)
Local time00:03:01 EEST (UTC+2)
MagnitudeMwr5.9
Depth10.0 km (6.2 mi)
Epicenter35°02′46″N 32°16′44″E / 35.046°N 32.279°E / 35.046; 32.279
Areas affectedCyprus
Max. intensityMMI VII (Very strong)
TsunamiNone
LandslidesNone
AftershocksMwr5.2, Mwr4.8
Casualties2 fatalities, 5 injuries

Tectonic Setting

The Island of Cyprus was created from the uplift of the Cyprus Arc, which was caused by the collision of the Anatolian Plate and the African Plate. To the East of the Cyprus Arc lies the Dead Sea Transform, and to the west is the Hellenic Arc. The East Anatolian Fault sits just northeast of the island of Cyprus.

Earthquake

The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 5.9 and a depth of 10 km (6 mi). Its epicenter was just 10 km (6 mi) west of the village of Neo Chorio, with its exact location found at 35.046°N 32.279°E, about 40 km (25 km) northwest of Paphos. Tremors were felt all across the island from Nicosia in the east to Limassol in the south.

Over 70 aftershocks were reported, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 5.2 and took place just 40 minutes after the initial earthquake.[3]

The 1996 Paphos Earthquake could have been caused as a result of this earthquake.

Impact

50 homes were completely destroyed as a result of the earthquake, as well as another 70 homes being seriously damaged and 500 other homes slightly damaged in the Nicosia and Paphos regions. 20 masonry homes were also destroyed as a result.

  1. ^ earthquake.usgs.gov https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usp0006tdu/executive. Retrieved 2024-04-18. ((cite web)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ "Today in Earthquake History". earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  3. ^ isc-mirror.iris.washington.edu http://isc-mirror.iris.washington.edu/cgi-bin/web-db-run?event_id=121176&out_format=ISF2&request=COMPREHENSIVE. Retrieved 2024-04-18. ((cite web)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
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