Earthquakes today: Jamaica, Papua New Guinea and Greece hit by huge quakes

Earthquakes occur daily around the world, as tectonic plates shift and trigger vibrations up through the earth. Sometimes these quakes can badly impact cities, towns and oceans causing, in some cases, disaster.

One area still reeling from a huge earthquake is Turkey which on Friday, January 24 was hit by a magnitude-6.7 quake.

This killed at least 38 people and injured more than 1,600 when it hit 21 miles from Elazig.

Buildings crumbled into rubble, leaving thousands homeless with 45 survivors pulled from the debris in the days since.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has since said his government is “seriously” preparing for a magnitude-7.5 quake in Istanbul.

Read More: Jamaica earthquake: Major 7.7 magnitude quake shakes region

Greece

In the Mediterranean Sea, close to Greece, another cluster of earthquakes have been recorded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)

According to the USGS, the largest of these was a magnitude-4.8, which struck 69km east-southeast of Karpathos.

There has also been a magnitude-4.5, and two magnitude-4.3 quakes to hit the same area.

These quakes follow a magnitude-5.5 which hit on Tuesday 70km east-southeast of Karpathos. This is close to the tourist hotspots of Kos and Rhodes.

Following all of the earthquakes, there have been no reports of damage or injuries.

The Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea

On Wednesday two large quakes hit one in Papua New Guinea and the other in the Solomon Islands.

The largest hit the Solomon Islands at a magnitude-6.0, 70km west of Kirakira.

This followed a magnitude 6.3 quake which hit on Monday, with residents reporting feeling a “jolt”.

No damage or injuries have been reported.

Close by, Papua New Guinea was hit by a magnitude-5.1 quake 81km south-southwest of Kokopo.

Both islands are used to regular earthquakes due to their location on the explosive Ring of Fire.

source: express.co.uk