Evia, Greece – Greece was on high alert Sunday after a series of earthquakes struck the island of Evia, causing concern in surrounding areas, including the neighboring city of Attica. The Athens Geodynamic Institute recorded two strong earthquakes. Within minutes of each other, these two tremors marked the peak of this seismic activity.
Details of seismic activity
The series of earthquakes began at 12:58 PM. The first earthquake, measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale, struck 6 kilometers southwest of Procopio on the island of Evia. The depth of its focus was 14 kilometers.
No sooner had the residents of the area caught their breath than a second, more powerful earthquake struck at 1:02 PM, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was located just 2 kilometers east-southeast of Prokopi, at a shallow depth of less than 5 kilometers.
These tremors were felt across a wide area of Attica. Residents there reported feeling the shaking intensely, causing widespread panic in residential areas.
Expert opinions and the geological situation
In an interview with ERTNews, Athanasios Gannas, research director at the Institute of Geodynamics, explained that the tremors occurred within a known fault line located behind Mount Kandili. Gannas emphasized, “This is a focal area that frequently experiences such magnitudes.” He added, “Historically, this location has never experienced a major earthquake exceeding 6 on the Richter scale.”
The series of earthquakes that occurred falls within the normal range. He added, “It is still too early to determine exactly what is happening. However, there are no seismic indicators that warrant excessive concern.” For his part, expert Papazachos noted that the region in question typically experiences short-lived seismic tremors, lasting only a few seconds. These tremors have not caused significant alarm in the scientific community.
