The earthquake of April 30, 1954, in Sophades (Central Greece)

The Sophades earthquake of 1954 April 30 marked the beginning of a series of earthquakes in Central Greece that culminated in the destructive events of 1955 and 1957 around the town of Volos. A thorough documentation of the surface expressions of the Sophades earthquake was recently discovered in the diaries and photographic archives of Yanni Papastamatiou. The surface manifestations included fractures and other ground disturbances. This evidence is summarised in this report and is combined with geological and geophysical information available in the area. The combined evidence suggests two possible fault zones, that could be responsible for the earthquake. Both zones are consistent with a northerly extensional deformation, similar to the one suggested for the region affected by the 1978 Chalkidiki earthquakes in N. Greece.