Earthquakes, Dodecanese Islands, Greece 2025

[Orion]

Am following with interest and concern the number of earthquakes that have occurred in the area near the islands of Santorini and Amorgos in the Aegean Sea:

https://www.emsc-csem.org/

... More than 280 earthquakes were recorded across Greek islands in the past 48 hours, according to the University of Athens' Seismological Laboratory. ...

BBC: Santorini on alert as tremors rattle Greek island

and timely and clear information from their Civil Defence organisation in Amorgos:

Amorgos: Home/Communication,Local Civil Protection Agency/Information

which reads, translated:
Following our previous information and according to decision no. 1/2025 of the Coordinating Local Civil Protection Body of the Municipality of Amorgos and today's meeting held at the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection regarding the increased seismic activity in the area between Amorgos - Santorini:
– We inform you that the gathering places per settlement in case of emergency are as follows:
1 Amorgos Town: 1) Large parking lot before the heliport
2) Kalogerikos Stadium-Parking Lot
2 Katapola: 1) Parking space near the olive mill and PPC in Rachidi
2) Beyond Rachidi
3 Aegiali Bay & River: the area of ​​the Transport Agencies before the Tholaria-Lagada intersection
4 Tholaria: Tholaria Square
5 Langada: 1) Kaminaki Parking
2) Upper Square Parking
6 Kamari: Playground
7 Vroutsi: “Giorgalini” Parking
8 Kolofana- Kalotaritissa: Courtyard of Agia Paraskevi (parking lot)
9 Arkesini in the square at Synetatirismos (Distrata) & in Rachoulas square
– It is recommended today, Sunday 02/02/2025 and tomorrow, Monday 03/02/2025, that your vehicles be removed from the land areas of the Ports of Katapola and Aegiali and their coastal road.
– It is also recommended that fishing and recreational vessels remain docked for the next 24 hours and not set sail.
– It is recommended to avoid traveling especially near dangerous & dilapidated buildings and beaches, especially the southern beaches and the beach of Kalotaritissa which is closest to the seismic area.
– In the event of a tsunami, you will be notified by a message from the civil protection (112) and by the ringing of bells in the parish churches. If you are in a coastal area with low altitude
Although not all earthquakes cause tsunamis, stay alert.
Observe if there is a significant rise or fall in the water level, which is a natural warning.
Move away from the sea and head inland to higher ground. A small tsunami at one point on the coast can turn into a large tsunami, kilometers away.
Stay away from the coast. A tsunami is not just a single wave but a series of waves, so only return after being informed by the competent authorities that there is no danger.
Do not go near the coast to watch for an approaching tsunami. When you see one, it may be too late to avoid it.
Attached is today's press release from the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.
Civil
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
HEALTH CENTER 2285071207
PORT AUTHORITY 2285071259
POLICE 2285071210
FIRE DEPARTMENT 2285032899
CIVIL PROTECTION
– Simos Stamatis 6932473001
-Kostas Grispos 6936659080

[Orion]

The Red Beach of Santorini has been closed as pieces of rock fell due to the earthquakes that occurred today (4/2).

In the images shown on Mega's show, "Live News", the difference in color of the rocks can be seen and the point where the landslide occurred can be seen, since it is white. This piece has come off and the beach is now inaccessible and has been completely closed.

These are the most famous beaches of Santorini and are located next to the archaeological site. Now access can only be done by boat.

In fact, the sea level has dropped, which is evident, because there is another white spot below that was previously in the water. It is worth noting that this is the first time that this particular beach has been closed.

Tourists were taking pictures
As mentioned in the show's report, a group of Chinese tourists, around 15 people, had arrived at the site earlier today and sat on the edge of the cliff, where rocks had also fallen off, and were taking photographs.

A resident of the island and a boat captain said that until two days ago the spot was normally accessible.

" For now, for us locals, the pure locals, everything is calm. Those who are leaving are people who work here and people with small children. We are ready. Because of the National Guard, I am a National Guard on the island, there is a plan, we know it and we can help at any time. We are trying to be calm for the good of everyone and to help those who are not ," he also emphasized.

Continuous landslides in Santorini
Earthquakes are continuing in the Cyclades region today. The 17 earthquakes recorded within three hours in the area between Santorini and Amorgos are indicative of the situation.

protothema.gr is located in Santorini and recorded the landslides that continue for another day on the island, where the concern among the residents is evident. Thousands of people from Santorini have been forced to leave their homes, temporarily, for safety reasons. As the seismic tremors continue, landslides are occurring in several parts of the island.

Speaking this morning, seismologist Athanasios Ganas reported that the active seismic activity in Santorini, Anhidros and Amorgos is between 4 and 4.9 Richter magnitudes, but that this morning there was an earthquake of 4.8 on the Richter Scale and a 4.9 Richter magnitude at 04:45 in the morning. The scientist emphasized that this is good news, saying that "the cluster scenario is strengthened, meaning we will not have a stronger earthquake."

"The fault is resisting breaking, I think the magnitudes will increase," says Papadopoulos
Seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos argued that “we have reached a critical crossroads”, stating that “we are in a pre-earthquake sequence”.

“ Gradually, the magnitudes from Saturday afternoon until today, from 3.6 Richter, reached 5 Richter. It is fully verified that we are in a pre-earthquake sequence. We have taken an upward course in the magnitudes and number of earthquakes, while the seismic sequence continues with exactly the same characteristics ”, Mr. Papadopoulos told MEGA.

“ At the moment we are not sure if there will be a larger earthquake, the possibility is still open. It is possible that the 5 Richter earthquake that occurred at noon on Tuesday will be the main one, but we will know this in two to three twenty-four hours, if a seismic sequence with aftershock characteristics appears. However, at the moment, this is not happening. The sequence continues with characteristics of foreshocks and the vigilance of scientists and warnings is justified ”, he added.

Gerasimos Papadopoulos reiterated that “I think that the way the sequence is going and it has all the characteristics of foreshocks, the magnitudes will increase further. I am not ready to answer whether it will be up to 6 on the Richter scale. We will see, it is a matter of days”.

“The fault resists breaking”

“ The fact that we have many earthquakes with relatively the same magnitudes means that the fault resists breaking. However, the system of forces persists and every now and then breaks it again, a little more, step by step. This is the big secret, to understand if there is a large volume of rocks that resists? If so, it means that it is very hard and when it breaks - because at some point it will break - it will cause a large earthquake. This may not be the case. "The fault may exhaust its strength limits and will continue with similar magnitudes, perhaps a little above or below 5 on the Richter scale until the process is complete ," said the seismologist.

The "Olympus" of the fire department in Santorini - The mass evacuations of residents continue
Traffic at the port of Santorini remains high, as several residents decide to temporarily leave the island due to the ongoing seismic activity.

Departures are taking place by any available means, either by ferry or by air. In fact, there is intense traffic at the port, with queues forming at the ticket offices, while passengers wait patiently to board the ships that are departing with increased occupancy.

At the same time, the mobile operational center of the fire department "Olympus" arrived on the island at noon on Tuesday (4/2) to coordinate the forces in the area. "Olympus" is used in large fires and crises throughout the territory and mainly in inaccessible areas where there are serious communication problems, and therefore coordination of the forces operating.

translated, text and photos at link:

protothema.gr Eerie images on Santorini's Red Beach - Entire pieces of rocks fell, it was closed to the public

[TonyT]

If there is a magma dome rising deeper down, then this is not going to end well.

[Razor]

If there is a magma dome rising deeper down, then this is not going to end well.

Fortunately the analysis seems to be pointing to tectonic not volcanic
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjde94dnj08o

[TonyT]

Swarms like these are rarely from "just" fault stress. The concern is if it's a broad magma dome tens of kilometres across. I very much doubt the M5.3 is the end of it. Best case scenario would be a few moderate to large quakes to end the sequence and it goes quiet for a while (decades). But if it keeps rising then it could generate large to very large quakes for a number of years, or worse yet a super volcano type scenario. That would disrupt global trade through the Mediterranean/Suez.

[Razor]

Swarms like these are rarely from "just" fault stress. The concern is if it's a broad magma dome tens of kilometres across. I very much doubt the M5.3 is the end of it. Best case scenario would be a few moderate to large quakes to end the sequence and it goes quiet for a while (decades). But if it keeps rising then it could generate large to very large quakes for a number of years, or worse yet a super volcano type scenario. That would disrupt global trade through the Mediterranean/Suez.

To be honest I don't know enough about that system. Hopefully its a Taupo like story, like that flurry a couple of years back that topped out with a 5.7
https://www.geonet.org.nz/vabs/1NuSQzVcrYLx4cT4hleSqR

[Orion]

Three more earthquakes have occurred near the Greek island of Santorini.

Residents of neighbouring Amorgos are remaining on high alert after Monday's tremors, which followed a moderate 5.0 magnitude earthquake between the islands on Sunday evening.

The area has been rocked by seismic activity for the last two weeks, and experts have not ruled out a major earthquake.

A state of emergency will remain in place on Santorini until at least 3 March.

Sunday's quake was preceded by three smaller ones of more than 4.0 magnitude, while the three on Monday morning were also more than 4.0 on the Richter scale.

Inspections found no damage to buildings in Santorini or Amorgos.

No injuries have been reported as a result of the earthquakes, which have numbered in the thousands since 26 January, but more than 11,000 people have left the islands.

Schools will remain closed on Santorini, Amorgos and several other islands on Monday and Tuesday.

A team of the Special Disaster Response Unit has set off for Amorgos from Patras with a special earthquake rescue vehicle, and technical teams are expected to inspect the electricity network on the island.

Kostas Papazachos, a professor of seismology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told broadcaster ERT that the authorities had to allow for the situation to continue for most or all of February.

"Let's hope that we will slowly move towards a gradual de-escalation," he said.

"We will have to be a little patient and see. Let's hope that after a couple of weeks the phenomenon will start to subside."

He said the possibility of a major earthquake had not been completely ruled out.

The strongest quake so far was a 5.2 magnitude on Thursday. 6.0 and above is considered severe.

Greece is one of Europe's most earthquake-prone countries, but scientists are puzzled by the current "clusters" of quakes which have not been linked to a major shock.

Meanwhile the cruise ship Viking Star, with 893 passengers and 470 crew, docked at the port of Souda in Crete early on Monday morning.

It was due to be the first cruise ship of the season in Santorini. The ship changed its route mainly to avoid cable car overcrowding in Santorini during the seismic activity.

BBC: More quakes hit Santorini and surrounding islands