Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake Rattles Central Greece

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit near the town of Atalanti in central Greece shortly after 15:30 local time. There have been no reports of damage from the tremor, which was also felt in Athens.

The earthquake had a focal depth of 13.6 km. The epicenter was 13 km southwest of Atalanti.

The Euro-Mediterranean Institute reported the magnitude as 4.9.

The tremor was particularly felt in the regions of Boeotia, Phocis and Fthiotida. As the mayor of Lokron, Thanasis Zekendes, told SKAI News, the earthquake occurred near the village of Exarchos, but so far no damage has been reported.

Efthymios Lekkas the president of the Greek Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization (OASP) appealed to local residents to keep calm, not to approach the old houses, but also areas where there is a risk of landslides.

Speaking to SKAI News he noted that it is still too early to say whether the tremor was the main earthquake.

“The region produces such earthquakes, and this is positive. It is within the framework of normal seismicity in the area,” he explained.

A stronger 5.2 magnitude earthquake rattled the island of Kythera in southern Greece in March.

Scientists warn that Greece could be struck by large earthquake

Greece may be struck by a large earthquake like the one which has devastated Turkey and Syria, at least two Greek scientists have said.

The seismological forecasts were made during conversations about the impacts of the natural disaster in Turkey and Syria. The professors expressed concerns that a similarly large earthquake could affect Greece sometime in the future.

Speaking in two separate interviews, Professor Konstantinos Synolakis and Professor Costas Papazachos drew similar conclusions when assessing the history of seismic activity in the Greek region.

Greece lies in a highly seismically-active region. The vast majority of earthquakes cause no damage or injuries, however.

In October 2020, an earthquake that struck the eastern Greek Aegean island of Samos and the nearby Turkish coast killed two people on Samos and at least seventy-five people in Turkey.

Greece is located in a complex geological boundary zone in the eastern Mediterranean between the African and Eurasian Plates.The northern part of Greece lies on the Eurasian Plate while the southern part lies on the Aegean Sea Plate.

The Aegean Sea Plate is moving southwestward with respect to the Eurasian Plate at about thirty millimeters (one inch) per year while the African Plate is moving northward, sliding beneath the Aegean Sea Plate at a rate of about forty millimeters (1.6 inches) per year.