5.0 Richter earthquake struck near Santorini, following the earlier 5.3 magnitude quake

On Monday at 00:37, a new 5.0 Richter earthquake was recorded, with its epicenter located 16 km south of Arkesini, Amorgos, and at a depth of 5 km. This was followed 7 minutes later, at 00:44, by another tremor measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale.

Earlier in the evening, the largest quake, measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale, occurred off the coast of Santorini, according to the revised information from the Geodynamic Institute. This seismic event was felt in both Attica and Crete. It happened at 22:16, with the epicenter located 14 kilometers south-southwest of Arkesini, Amorgos, and at a focal depth of 17 kilometers.

In response, seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos, who had previously expressed cautious optimism, declared, “The small window of optimism is closed.” The recent seismic activity has raised concerns, especially following the Monday night 5.3 magnitude quake, which significantly changed the situation.

The earthquake occurred in the marine area between Santorini and Amorgos. The Geodynamic Institute recorded it at 5.3 Richter, while the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center registered it at 5.2. In light of this new strong tremor, Papadopoulos posted that optimism for a decrease in seismic activity has substantially decreased.

“A strong quake in Santorini, 5.3 Richter according to the Geodynamic Institute or 5.2 according to the Euro-Mediterranean Center. The small window of optimism closed,” he remarked.

Seismologist Akis Tselentis also confirmed that the phenomenon continues to develop, noting in a post: “As we discussed, we’ve just had a 5.3,” providing the details of the earthquake.

Experts are closely monitoring the seismic activity to understand whether it constitutes an aftershock sequence or if there is a risk of a new major quake in the area.

From optimism to uncertainty, just hours before the quake, Mr. Papadopoulos, speaking on Mega, pointed out that there was a slight shift in the seismic sequence, allowing some room for optimism. He noted that the aggressive seismic activity of previous days seemed to be changing, as indicated by a decrease in earthquakes with magnitudes over 3 Richter. However, the new strong tremor of 5.3 Richter brought fresh concerns and led Papadopoulos to revise his earlier assessment.

“Nature will show us the way forward. I am slightly optimistic, but with great caution. We must wait for more data,” he initially stated, highlighting the variations observed in the aggressive pre-seismic sequence.

Source: pagenews.gr