Crustal deformation analysis of Thessaly (central Greece) before the March 2021 earthquake sequence near Elassona-Tyrnavos (northern Thessaly)

Abstract

Thessaly lies on the Aegean (micro-)plate, undergoing internal crustal deformation due to the plate relative motion against the adjacent Anatolian and Nubian plates. As a result, the whole Thessalian Basin was supposed to be under an extensional tectonic regime of N-S direction. However, the recent earthquake sequence of March 2021 which occurred close to the northwestern margin of the basin revealed NE-SW direction of extension. Based on 7-year GPS measurements recorded by stations installed within and around the basin we assessed four deformational parameters for Thessaly aiming at the understanding of the deformation processes that control the region. These parameters are i) the Maximum Horizontal Extension (MAHE), ii) the Total Velocity (TV), iii) the Maximum Shear Strain (MSS), and iv) the Area Strain (AS). The results show that during the monitoring period, Thessaly moved toward the S-SW with a simultaneous clockwise rotation and underwent dispersed deformation mostly associated with dilatation. Focusing on the epicentral area of the 2021 sequence, strain during the 7-year period was rather low in all three strain parameters, implying a mature stage of elastic strain accumulation before the fault rupture.