Emergency services have been placed on alert on the Greek island of Evia near Athens after an earthquake on Wednesday that caused no injuries or severe damage but puzzled scientists.
According to AP News, the magnitude 4.9 quake occurred inland, near Evia’s western coast, and follows an uncommon pattern of seismic activity in the area.
Felt in Athens some 70 kilometers to the south, Wednesday’s quake occurred after two temblors in late November on the south of the island of magnitude 5.0 and 4.8, that had been described unusual by seismologists.
University of Thessaloniki seismologist, Kostas Papazachos, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) that people should be on alert but not panic.
“Theoretically, this fault could cause an earthquake registering up to 6 on the Richter scale, but has not done so, so far. On the contrary, up to now it has acted differently, as in 2008, when it caused low-grade earthquakes for nearly a year,” the professor said.
In response, Greece’s Civil Protection Minister Christos Stylianidis on Wednesday called to convene the Seismic Threat Evaluation Committee at the Organization of Antiseismic Planning and Protection (OASP).
Source: AP News.
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