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 in length and is situated between the
Peloponnese and the island of
Crete.
Many ships have sunk in the area, including , , and .
Navigational hazard
The Kythira Strait represents one of the most dangerous navigational hazards in the Mediterranean.
The strait between Kythera and
Cape Maleas was found dangerous in ancient days by the Greek mariners. 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
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. 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.
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.
Bibliography
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It is considered to be a "dextral wrench zone".
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