Strong 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Mount Athos in Greece

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook Mount Athos in northeastern Greece late on Saturday afternoon, generating concern following the continuous tremors on Santorini in the past weeks. 

Referred to in Greek as the “Holy Mountain”, Athos is one of the most important centers of the Christian Orthodox world. Home to twenty monasteries under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, it is governed as an autonomous state within the Hellenic Republic.

The quake was like a repeat of a similar occurrence in December.

The epicenter of the 4.8 magnitude earthquake is in the Karyes area of ​​Mount Athos, coming shortly after a double tremor of 3.5 and 3.2 points on the Richter scale earlier in the afternoon, according to the Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens.

Specifically, at 6:11 pm on Saturday, the strongest earthquake of 4.8 magnitude hit Mount Athos.

As in the two previous seismic tremors, at 5:13 pm and 5:21 pm the epicenter remains Karyes, and specifically the area located 11 kilometers west-northwest. The focal depth is located at 11.7 kilometers.

The December tremors on Mount Athos

On December 13, a series of tremors took place om Mount Athos. Specifically, a 4.6 magnitude earthquake struck the Mount Athos monastic community.

According to the Athens Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory,  the quake’s epicenter was located 10 kilometers west-northwest of Karyes at a depth of 13.7 kilometers.

The earthquake was preceded by two smaller tremors, measuring 3.7 and 3.1 in magnitude. No damage or injuries had been reported.

Santorini continues to be on alert

Scientists are concerned whether the Mount Athos tremors are related top the Santorini earthquakes. Meanwhile, people on Santorini continue to be on alert for new, stronger tremors as the island is declared to be in a state of emergency. Likewise, nearby Cyclades islands Ios, Amorgos and Anafi are also in a state of emergency as earthquakes continue in the Santorini-Amorgos zone.

The Seismology Laboratory of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens on Friday reported new data on the earthquakes that have been shaking the Cyclades islands since January 26, when the phenomenon officially began.

As stated in the announcement of the NKUA, from January 26 to February 12, over 17,500 earthquakes were detected in the Cyclades, of which 15,400 were greater than 1 point on the Richter scale.

On February 12, 1,000 earthquakes were recorded, with 190 of them having a magnitude above 2.5 Richter, 16 of them above 4 Richter and 5 above 4.5 Richter.

The largest earthquake of that day reached 5.0 Richter.

On February 13, there was a significant decrease in the number of earthquakes, with just over 100 recorded. Two of them had a magnitude of over 4 on the Richter scale, while the two strongest tremors occurred in the afternoon of that day with a magnitude of 4.4 on the Richter scale.

“A general decrease in the number and magnitude of earthquakes is observed,” the National Academy of Sciences of Greece said in a statement.