Twin M5.1 earthquakes hit Santorini area, Ios becomes fourth island under state of emergency, Greece
Ios became the fourth island in the Aegean to be placed under a state of emergency on February 15, following the trend set by Santorini on February 6, Amorgos on February 12, and Anafi on February 13, due to the ongoing seismic activity in the region since late January 2025. On January 18, two M5.1 quakes were registered between Santorini and Amorgos, shaking the area with enough intensity to be felt across multiple islands.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
Two M5.1 earthquakes struck between the islands of Santorini and Amorgos early on February 18, as an intense seismic swarm continued shaking the region. The quakes, recorded at a depth of 8 km (5 miles) at 04:46 and 06:08 UTC, were the fourth strongest since the sequence began in late January.
This ongoing seismic activity has led to Ios becoming the fourth island in the Aegean to be placed under a state of emergency on February 15, following Santorini, Amorgos, and Anafi. The emergency status will remain in effect until March 14 as authorities continue to assess the region’s stability.
Seismologists Dimitris Papanikolaou and Kostas Papazachos have recently dismissed concerns about the formation of a new volcano in the region.
“This is an unprecedented phenomenon,” Papanikolaou said, adding that the seismic sequence could persist for months. He clarified that while magma movement is occurring at depths greater than 5 km (3.1 miles), the likelihood of a volcanic eruption is low.
“There is no chance of a volcanic eruption right now. Both volcanoes are calm,” he added, referring to nearby Santorini and Kolumbos volcanoes.
“We had many volcanic earthquakes in 2011 and again this past fall. This is a different phenomenon we are studying,” Papanikolaou explained.
Athens and Airbnb have launched a program to provide free temporary housing for up to 200 displaced families from Santorini, Amorgos, Anafi, and Ios. Affected residents can call to request accommodation for up to ten days of covered costs.
Greece’s Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, announced the construction of an “escape port” on Santorini to enhance emergency response capabilities. The project, developed in collaboration with the Greek Armed Forces, will allow passenger ships to evacuate residents swiftly in case of a major earthquake.
Kikilias also urged scientists to communicate responsibly. “People are not required to understand scientific terminology. Our priority is the safety of our citizens,” he stated.
Santorini, a tourist island that receives over 1.3 million visitors annually, is now experiencing economic losses as cruise lines have rerouted ships to alternative destinations such as Crete and Syros. Meanwhile, industry representatives have raised concerns about the absence of a dedicated emergency port and infrastructure improvements for cruise operations.
The Greek government has announced financial aid for affected businesses while schools remain closed as a precaution.
The Seismology Laboratory of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens has employed machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to track seismic patterns, noting a “gradual decrease” in activity. While recent data suggests a slight downward trend, researchers caution that further significant earthquakes cannot be ruled out.
References:
1 Santorini not facing formation of new volcano – GREEK CITY TIMES – February 18, 2025
2 Over 16,900 Earthquakes Rattle Amorgos-Santorini Zone – GREEK CITY TIMES – February 17, 2025
3 Ios Becomes Fourth Aegean Island Declared in State of Emergency Due to Seismic Activity – GREEK CITY TIMES – February 15, 2025
Rishika holds a Master’s in International Studies from Stella Maris College, Chennai, India, where she earned a gold medal, and an MCA from the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India. Previously, she served as a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. During her tenure, she contributed as a Junior Writer for Europe Monitor on the Global Politics website and as an Assistant Editor for The World This Week. Her work has also been published in The Hindu newspaper, showing her expertise in global affairs. Rishika is also a recipient of the Women Empowerment Award at the district level in Haryana, India, in 2022.
FYI — The committees for the seismic activity between Santorini and Amorgos meet again on Saturday —
– A decision will be taken on whether or not to extend the measures taken –
— Proto Thema (Greece) – Newsroom – February 19 – 10:50 –
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A new meeting of the two committees (the Standing Scientific Committee for Seismic Risk Assessment and Seismic Risk Reduction and the Standing Scientific Committee for the Monitoring of the Greek Volcanic Arc of the OASP) will be held on Saturday afternoon on seismic activity in the marine area between Santorini and Amorgos.
Today, the chairman of the OASP, Professor Ethymios Lekkas, reconvened a joint meeting of the two committees. The meeting was held at the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, in the presence of Minister Vassilis Kikilias, Deputy Minister Evangelos Tourna and Secretary General of Civil Protection Vassilis Papageorgiou, the Secretary General of Civil Protection, Mr. Peter Kampouris, the Commander of the Construction and Disaster Response Command (DIKAFKA) of the General Staff of the General Staff, Major General Michael Kluvas and representatives of the leadership of the Fire Brigade.
During this, the committee members presented and reviewed the data so far, which according to Civil Protection sourceshave not changed from the previous meeting.
The next meeting will decide whether or not to extend the measures taken for the seismic activity in the sea area between Santorini and Amorgos.
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– FINIS –
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