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.
Small-scale tectonic structures have been identified on the Moon’s farside maria and within the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) Basin, revealing recent and potentially ongoing contractional tectonism. The discovery challenges previous assumptions that tectonic activity on the Moon ceased billions of years ago.
A strong earthquake registered by the BKMG as M6.0 hit near the coast of North Maluku, Indonesia, at 03:12 UTC (10:12 LT) on February 5, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 87 km (54 miles). USGS reported a slightly lower magnitude of 5.5 with a depth of 104 km (65 miles).
An eruption at Bezymianny volcano in Kamchatka, Russia, sent ash up to 4 km (13 123 feet) a.s.l. and triggered seismic activity at 10:20 LT (00:20 UTC) on February 1, 2025. KVERT raised the Aviation Color Code to Orange on January 31, marking the first upgrade in three months since October 4, 2024.
Over 9 000 residents and tourists evacuated Santorini island by ferry and emergency flights on February 3 and 4, 2025, following a surge in seismic activity that began on January 28. Authorities remain on high alert as the region continues to experience strong earthquakes, including 43 tremors above M4.0 since February 1.
An international research team led by the University of Göttingen has discovered that the Neotethys oceanic plate is breaking off horizontally. This geological phenomenon is occurring deep beneath the Earth’s surface, with a tear extending from southeast Turkey to northwest Iran. The study focused on the impact of the Zagros Mountains’ forces in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, revealing significant bending of the Earth’s surface over the past 20 million years.
In response to ongoing intense seismic activity, Greek authorities have deployed the EMAK emergency rescue team to Santorini, setting up temporary shelters near the indoor stadium. From February 1 to 3, 2025, more than 200 earthquakes have been recorded between Santorini and Amorgos, with the strongest reaching M4.8 on February 3. Schools on Santorini and nearby islands have been closed, and residents have been advised to avoid vulnerable structures. Additional flights have been scheduled to facilitate departures from the island.
During a nighttime eruption on Thursday, January 30, 2025, the Sakurajima volcano produced an impressive volcanic lightning show, a rare but well-documented phenomenon associated with explosive eruptions.
A swarm of over 50 earthquakes has been recorded in the geothermal area, north of Taupo volcano, since 18:00 LT (05:00 UTC) on Thursday, January 30, 2025. The strongest earthquake was M2.9, with many earthquakes being reported as ‘unnoticeable’ or ‘weak’ by GeoNet.
New activity/unrest was reported for 5 volcanoes from January 22 – 28, 2025. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 19 volcanoes.
A series of more than 130 earthquakes, reaching up to M3.0, has been detected near the Santorini summit since January 28, 2025, prompting an emergency government meeting by the Permanent Scientific Monitoring Committee to assess potential volcanic risks.
