Impacts of the 2020 Samos earthquake on the modeling of ancient seismic events

A striking pattern of seismic damage emerged from the 2020 Samos earthquake, challenging conventional models of isoseismal lines. Unlike typical earthquakes, this M7.0 event caused severe, localized destruction in multi-story buildings in İzmir—far from the epicenter—while sparing nearby areas like northern Samos. This unusual distribution suggests that similar patterns may have occurred during historical quakes in the region, potentially explaining large meizoseismal areas documented in ancient records. The findings also imply that monumental structures, such as Greek and Roman temples with long-period columns, which are usually resilient to seismic loads, can still suffer damage under amplified background accelerations—a phenomenon observed in the Heraion temple at Samos. By analyzing this earthquake's atypical effects, researchers propose a new framework for modeling ancient seismic events, offering insights into the vulnerability of heritage sites like Pythagoreion and Heraion.

STIROS, S. C. (2021). Impacts of the 2020 Samos earthquake on the modeling of ancient seismic events. Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences, 30(SI-1), 738–747. https://doi.org/10.3906/yer-2107-7