Kythira Strait

Kythira Strait (also Kythirian Straits, Kythira–Antikythira Strait or Kithera Channel) is a waterway off Kythira in southern Greece. The Kythira–Antikythira Strait is situated within the Western Hellenic arc. It measures approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) in length and is situated between the Peloponnese and the island of Crete.[1][2][3]

View of the Kythira Strait in the distance of southern Greece

Many ships have sunk in the area, including HMS Greyhound (H05), HMS Gloucester (62), and SS Ivernia.[4]

Navigational hazard

The Kythira Strait represents one of the most dangerous navigational hazards in the Mediterranean.[5][6] The strait between Kythera and Cape Maleas was found dangerous in ancient days by the Greek mariners.[5] Most sea-traffic from Athens, Istanbul, and the Black Sea to the central and western Mediterranean passes through the strait and are often subject to strong winds and shipwreck on Cape Maleas. To circumvent this, the shorter and safer route via the Isthmus of Corinth has been used since classical antiquity, first through the use of the overland Diolkos pathway[6] and in modern times, through the Corinth Canal.

Earthquakes and tsunami

The Kythira Strait, located within the Western Hellenic arc, is subject to submergence on account of normal faulting which results in "extensional deformation and rotation" between two major segments of the external arc.[7] According to Papadopoulos and Kijko, the Western Hellenic arc has high seismic activity, resulting in deformations in the strait which are active. Here the "seismic slip" recorded is on the order of 0.3 cm/year. Also reported in the strait are earthquakes at shallow and intermediate depths, with surface-wave magnitudes of up to 8.0.[8]

The Kythira Strait's Tsunami Warning System (TWS) comprises two interrelated elements. One is based on the seismographic observations and the other is related to tide-gauge recordings.[9]

References

1. Kokinou, Eleni; Kamberis, Evangelos (2009). "The structure of the Kythira–Antikythira strait, offshore SW Greece (35.7°–36.6°N)". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 311: 343–360. doi:10.1144/SP311.14.
2. Peters 1985, p. 225.
3. Kensetsushō Kenchiku Kenkyūjo 1993, p. 38.
4. Guides to the microfilmed records of the German Navy, 1850–1945. National Archives and Records Service, U.S. General Services Administration. 1984. p. 53.
5. Freely 2008, p. 210.
6. Campbell, Joan Cecelia (2009). Phoebe: Patron and Emissary. Liturgical Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-8146-5281-7.
7. Hebenstreit 2013, p. 119.
8. Hebenstreit 2013, pp. 119–20.
9. Soloviev & Solovieva 2013, p. 174. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSolovievSolovieva2013 (help)

Bibliography

• Freely, John (15 May 2008). The Ionian Islands: Corfu, Cephalonia, Ithaka and Beyond. I. B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-696-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Hebenstreit, Gerald T. (14 March 2013). Tsunami Research at the End of a Critical Decade. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-94-017-3618-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Kensetsushō Kenchiku Kenkyūjo (1993). Individual Studies by Participants to the International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering. International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) It is considered to be a "dextral wrench zone".
• Peters, Jeroen Martien (1985). Neogene and Quaternary vertical tectonics in the south Hellenic arc and their effect on concurrent sedimentation processes.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Soloviev, Sergey L.; Solovieva, Olga N.; Chan N. Go; Khen S. Kim; Nikolay A. Shchetnikov (14 March 2013). Tsunamis in the Mediterranean Sea 2000 B.C.-2000 A.D. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-94-015-9510-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)