Stronger Santorini quake increasingly unlikely, expert says

The likelihood of a major earthquake in the Santorini area appears to be diminishing, based on evidence of ongoing fault-line activity that has caused hundreds of quakes over the past week, a field expert has stated. However, he did not entirely rule out unexpected developments.

“We are growing increasingly optimistic as we observe the fault segment, which now exhibits clearer characteristics following the network densification, beginning to ‘fill.’ This indicates that the likelihood of a stronger tremor is steadily diminishing, making such a scenario increasingly improbable,” Costas Papazachos, a professor of geophysics and seismology, explained on Friday.

Papazachos predicted that mild tremors would continue for some time, adding that “even a stronger tremor would have a relatively limited impact on the island. The scenarios we have studied do not indicate anything significant.”

Despite his positive outlook, the seismologist stopped short of ruling out intensified earthquake activity.

Additional monitoring systems are being installed in the wider Santorini area to improve the accuracy of seismic readings, Papazachos noted.

“We are doing everything we can, along with colleagues from other centres, to enhance monitoring and provide more reliable information,” he said.

Approximately 11,000 people have departed Santorini in recent days, unsettled by ongoing earthquake activity.

Source: ekathimerini.com