Only 30 kilometers separate the Greek city of Florina (Florina) from Bitola in Macedonia. On Sunday night at 23:43, respectively at 22:43, according to the accepted time, the two cities were shaken by an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 according to the Euro-Mediterranean Center and US Geological Survey and 5.4 according to the Athens National Observatory. The source of the earthquake is not far from the earth's surface, at the top of the earth's crust. For this reason, the impact of the earthquake was significant in the areas of Florina and Bitola and the event was followed by noticeable aftershock activity.
What is the picture of the distribution of perceived earthquakes in the affected area:
As can be seen from the map drawn up at the European Eyewitness Center, the 5.5 magnitude earthquake was manifested with maximum intensity in the direction of the territory of the Republic of Macedonia. "Suddenly everything started shaking and falling [in the kitchen]. The whole city went out at 12 o'clock at midnight, "said a resident of the epicenter. Again, the quake caused damage - to gaping cracks in the walls, cracks around the joists or over the roof slab of old or unbuilt buildings; so the maximum intensity in the epicenter is about VI degree on a 12-point scale.
In Greece, the region of Florina (Florina, Aminteo), as well as the city of Bitola and its surroundings (Lavci, Gorno Orizari) in the Republic of Macedonia are shaken with intensity reaching VI degree. Farther from the epicenter area in the PCM, two directions of impact are emerging, which is potential for causing undesirable damage during the current winter season, namely in flues (chimneys). One direction is Resen-Ohrid, and the second - from the epicenter to the north (Krushevo) and north-northeast (Prilep). In Greece, such damage is possible in the southeast and south directions (Aminteo, dem Florina; Nea Lefki and Klisura, dem Kastoria).
The energy emitted during the commented earthquake had different effects on the territories of nine countries. According to the website of the European Center, the countries where the earthquake was felt are as follows: Greece (maximum intensity is in the region of Florina; in the capital Athens, the quake was barely felt), Republic of Macedonia (maximum intensity is in the Bitola region) ; the quake in Skopje - 130 km from the epicenter - was felt by almost everyone), Albania (maximum intensity of IV degree; in Tirana, 140 km from the epicenter, the intensity is of III degree), Kosovo (maximum intensity of IV degree; in Pristina 200 km from the epicenter the quake is rarely felt), Montenegro (in Podgorica - barely felt, 250 km from the epicenter), Bulgaria (Sofia at an epicenter distance of 260 km - felt only in the upper floors on high-rise buildings, the quake was faint in the southwestern part of the country), Serbia (Vranje-Nis, 200-280 km, barely perceptible), Bosnia and Herzegovina (in Sarajevo - over 400 km from the epicenter - barely perceptible) and Italy from the Puglia region very weak rare sensations have been reported).
Regarding the post-earthquake activity, the earthquake catalog of the Euro-Mediterranean Center offers a reliable reference. In the first day after the earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5, the center registered 41 aftershocks from the same epicenter with a magnitude of 2 and greater. Many of them are felt in the epicenter area, and many of them (19) have the potential to increase the damage caused by the main earthquake. The strongest aftershock has a magnitude of 4.4, which happened 53 minutes after midnight in Bitola and 01:53 on Tuesday according to the time in Greece. Sunday's quake had no previous quakes.
For a period of ten years ago, the seismic activity in the region was represented by events with magnitudes far smaller than 5.5. The maximum earthquake in the upper crust is of magnitude 4.1. Stronger, in terms of energy released, is the earthquake that occurred on June 17, 2012. It has a magnitude of 4.6 and is the only one of the seismic events in the area with a relatively large depth of 27 kilometers below the earth's surface.
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