Greece’s top seismologist does not exclude an earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale, while there is a 4% chance that such a tremor could cause the collapse of up to 300 buildings in the caldera of Santorini.
On Wednesday, February 19, head of National Earthquake Planning and Protection, Efthymios Lekkas, made his own predictions about the course and the evolution of the seismic phenomenon in Santorini.
During his visit on Santorini and accompanied by members of the Interdisciplinary Committee for Risk and Crisis Management of the National University of Athens, Lekkas clarified that for him the most likely scenario for the evolution of the phenomenon is the gradual de-escalation of earthquakes in Santorini, although a tremor of magnitude 6 on the Richter scale still remains possible.
Although an earthquake of magnitude 6 or more on the Richter scale is considered extreme, this scenario remains the second most likely, he stressed, while sounding the alarm about the effects it will have on the island.
He explained that in the event of such a strong earthquake, there is a 4% chance that 200 to 300 buildings in the caldera of Santorini will collapse.
Regarding the volcanic activity, Lekkas made clear that the Columbo is not going to erupt in the next 10,000 years, while the possibility of a new volcano being created exists, but in 200,000 years from now.
Regarding geological changes, he said that ground movements have been recorded. The northern part of the island has shifted by 8 centimeters while the southern part by 4 cm.
Eftymios Lekkas presented the possible scenarios for the development of the situation, explaining the time scale and the required operational planning for each case and his presentation was based on the proposals of the Committee for Seismic Hazard Assessment and Reduction and the Committee for Monitoring the Greek Volcanic Arc.
Lekkas’ scenarios were included in the announcement by the University of Athens (EKPA/NKUA)
