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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has urged islanders on the Greek island of Santorini to “stay calm” after an increase in seismic activity in recent days. His remarks come as schools were told to close on Monday and authorities advised against “large gatherings in enclosed spaces” across the island, which is a popular tourist destination known for its whitewashed buildings and blue domed churches.
More than 280 earthquakes were recorded across Greek islands in the past 48 hours, according to the University of Athens’ Seismological Laboratory. Tremors of up to 4.9 in magnitude were recorded north-east of the island on Monday, while recent days have seen quakes of 4.3 and 3.9 magnitude reported nearby.
Speaking from EU talks in Brussels, the prime minister said the country is working to manage “a very intense geological phenomenon”, adding that he has asked the authorities to provide a “comprehensive presentation” of the geological data, to ensure everyone knows the scale of this seismic event.
Mitsotakis’s remarks come as many people in Santorini spent Sunday night outdoors, amid fears of potential damages to buildings during the quakes. Some focal points of the tremors have been recorded at a depth of just 2km (1.2miles) below the surface.
Local media report other residents have left the island by sea or air while the seismic activity is ongoing. Santorini is on what is known as the Hellenic Volcanic Arc – a chain of volcanic islands created by plate tectonics – but the last major eruption was in the 1950s.
Greek authorities said that the recent minor earthquakes were related to tectonic plate movements instead of volcanic activity. The tremors are being caused by the Aegean sea plate subducting beneath the African plate, causing resistance and friction to build up along the fault line.
Earthquakes are very common in this region, but authorities say activity in the Santorini caldera – the volcanic basin the island sits around – remains in decline.
A volcanic earthquake occurs when volcanic eruptions move magma and fluids towards the Earth’s surface, this in turn leads to the movement of tectonic plates, which can be felt on the surface as earthquakes or tremors.
The tremors recorded by geologists are considered minor or light, but authorities have recommended a number of preventative measures in addition to the school closures, including asking ships to avoid the ports of Ammoudi and Fira.
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