A moderate earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter scale jolted the southern Peloponnese peninsula in Greece on Thursday, without causing injuries or damage, according to initial reports from local authorities.

The epicenter was 20 kilometers off the coast at an approximate depth of 38 kilometer, according to estimates of the Geodynamic Institute of the Athens National Observatory.

Earlier on Thursday, a 4.1 magnitude quake hit an area off the northern coast of the island of Crete in the southern Aegean Sea, while a similar magnitude tremor shook Athens northern suburbs on Tuesday. No injuries or damage was caused in both cases.

Greek experts such as professors Eythymios Lekkas and Thanassis Ganas of the Geodynamic Institute stress that the recent seismic activity is normal for Greece and there is "no cause for alarm."

The last time Greece faced a major tragedy caused by a quake was in 1999, when a 6 magnitude tremor jolted Athens, causing more than 100 deaths and extensive material damage.

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