Euthymios Lekkas for earthquakes in the Cyclades: ‘There is a possibility of a vibration greater than 6 Richter’

The two key scenarios that experts consider for them in , revealed Wednesday morning (05.02.2020), Euthymios Lekkas. The first, considered more favourable, according to him, predicts that seismic activity in the Cyclades will culminate with an earthquake of 5.5 Richter, but without causing damage. “In this case, the situation will gradually deescalate”. CORVERSE The second scenario, considered more extreme, predicts an earthquake of 6 to 6.2 Richter. “If that happens, we will surely have some consequences, so all the necessary operational measures have been taken,” the president of the OASP stressed in his morning statements, on the “Congresses”. Regarding the faults that have been activated in the area, the president clarified that the vibrations were not caused by the Amorgos fault that gave the 7.5 Richter earthquake in 1956. CORVERSE “This breach takes thousands of years to refill energy. It has only 70 years since the previous earthquake, so it cannot be activated,” he said. For the seismic activity of the last days that has marked an alarm in Santorini and the surrounding islands, Efthymios Lekkas said that despite variations in sizes and focal depths, it remains at high levels. “The initial assessment of the Seismic Risk Assessment Committee was that seismic activity (e.g. in the Cyclades) will be particularly intense, and this continues to be the case despite the fluctuations it presents. Overall, activity remains at high levels.” “We see a swarm, that is, a series of earthquakes with magnitudes up to 5 Richter, that can last days or weeks,” he said and added that we still don’t know how nature works and especially how it works under the sea that we have no direct contact with. “There are dozens of faults between Amorgos and Santorini and they are gradually activated one fault after another,” added the president of the Anti-Seism Design and Protection Agency. The professor assured that the state apparatus is fully prepared for any possibility. “We operate on the basis of the extreme scenario , which has little chance of manifesting. However, for the first time we are prepared at every level, with all stakeholders alert.” About when the earthquakes will cease, Euthymios Lekkas made it clear that there is no “no point”. “ Earthquake activity can continue for days or weeks. In Arkalochori, for example, the discharge process lasted over a year,” he said at the end.