Swarm of strong earthquakes in Greece prompts thousands to evacuate
Another swarm of earthquakes shook the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea on Tuesday, including the popular tourist destination of Santorini, officially known as Thira.

Village of Oia on Santorini in the Cyclades, Greece, February 04, 2025. The island of Santorini, popular with travelers is located in a major seismic zone. (Photo by Xavier Duvot / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP)
5.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near Santorini, Greece
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake, the strongest one yet, shook the islands Tuesday just after 5:04 a.m. PT, according to the United States Geological Survey.
On Tuesday morning, two magnitude 5.1 quakes centered in the Aegean Sea north of Santorini rattled the region.

(United States Geological Survey)
Could a major earthquake hit Greece soon?
Greek officials are warning those on Santorini to stay alert in the coming days due to increasing seismic activity, which could mean a strong earthquake is imminent.
Officials from Greece's Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection and the fire departments have been meeting daily since the seismic activity first began over the weekend.
While only about 20,000 people call the island home, more than 3.4 million tourists visited last year.

A view of the old port and of the town of Fira on Greek Island of Santorini, in the Agean Sea on February 3, 2025. Fresh overnight tremors shook Greece's top tourist island Santorini, media reports said, prompting people to sleep outdoors and others (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Schools are now closed through Friday, and people on the island are being instructed to drain swimming pools, avoid large gatherings inside buildings and stay away from abandoned buildings.
Greek news website protothema.gr reported people were sleeping in their cars during the seismic outbreak. Fire rescue personnel are being brought onto the island to respond to the earthquakes.
On Monday, after a night of shaking, hundreds of people lined up to board ferries to leave the island. By Tuesday, Greek state media reported that more than 6,000 residents had left Santorini.
The Civil Protection warned against staying near the ports, including Ammoudi, Armeni, Korfou and the Old Port of Fira.
Officials said that if strong seismic shaking is detected, coastal areas could be evacuated.
The U.S. Embassy in Greece is warning American travelers to avoid those areas of concern identified by the Greek government.

Habitants of Santorini gather in the port of Athinios in order to flee the island after the recent seismic activity and the fears of a volcanic awakening or a larger scale earthquake. Santorini, Feb. 3, 2025. (Photo by STRINGER / SOOC / SOOC via AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images)
2025 Greek island earthquakes continue to intensify
According to the Civil Protection advisory, more than 200 earthquakes were measured over the weekend in the Anydros area between Thira and Amorgos.
On Monday, the shaking continued, with earthquakes detected near Amorgos and Fira, the capital city of Santorini. Earthquake intensity increased, with the strongest quake reaching over magnitude 5.
Will Santorini, Greece have a volcanic eruption?
Experts are warning that the swarm of earthquakes felt in Greece are not tied to volcanic activity. While the island was shaped by a volcanic eruption more than 3,500 years ago, the volcano has not erupted since 1950.
According to Greek Seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos, the seismic activity is tectonic, meaning it's related to movement in the Earth's crust, not volcanic processes.

TOPSHOT - Falling rocks from landslides caused by earthquake tremors quick up clouds of dust along the rocky cliff face on the Greek Island of Santorini on February 3, 2025. Fresh overnight tremors shook Greece's top tourist island Santorini, media r
How long will the earthquakes in Greece last?
Papadopoulos wrote on Monday that new stronger earthquakes confirmed "that we are in an intense pre-seismic sequence," adding that these events can last up to four months.
"I will not be tempted to say the size of an expected main earthquake," he said.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Mediterranean region is seismically active because of the convergence of the African plate and the Eurasian plate. The highest rates of seismic activity are found in southern Greece, western Turkey and southern Italy.
The Source: Information for this story came from FOX Weather and the United States Geological Survey.
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