Crustal structure of the Gulf of Corinth in Central Greece, determined from magnetotelluric soundings

The magnetotelluric sounding method at 15 sites was employed to investigate the electrical properties of the crust and upper mantle near the epicentral region of the June 15 1995, Ms = 6.1, destructive earthquake in the Gulf of Corinth, Central Greece. The magnetotelluric results indicate the presence of a conductive zone in the mid-crust at a depth of 9 to 12 km near the seismogenetic region. The existence of this zone with a thickness of around 7 km can be explained by the presence of fluids in a zone of ductile shear. A second electrical discontinuity was also found at a depth of about 28 km and this may well correspond to the Moho below the Gulf of Corinth.