“Thebes has been dancing to the rhythm of Richter for nine months”writing Ta Nea. In this region located a hundred kilometers north of the Greek capital, Athens, the earthquakes are incessant. And if their intensity does not exceed, for most of them, 4 on the Richter scale (which measures the strength of earthquakes), their repetition arouses fear. Over the past nine months, no less than 2,900 have been recorded.
“There is a concern, it is true. We are mainly concerned about whether there will be a larger earthquake, when the phenomenon will stop, what will be the evolution of the situation”, notes Gerasimos Papadopoulos, director of research at the Institute of Geodynamics of the National Observatory of Athens, in the columns of the newspaper.
“The shaking comes from the many small cracks that form a larger rupture zone. These small faults reactivate one after the other, which is why we essentially have small earthquakes. And because there are no major tectonic plates in the region, we don’t expect any major seismic activity.” reassures however Efthymios Lekkas, president of the organization of prevention of the earthquakes.
Impossible predictions
These seismic tremors take place at a depth of only six to seven kilometers, which explains the extent of the feeling for the local populations.
“But in the region, an earthquake can happen at any time. This is a problem that exists throughout Greece. We can neither predict nor anticipate these great earthquakes,” warns Mr. Lekkas.
Because the phenomenon is not limited to the region of Thebes.
“In 2021, nineteen earthquakes with an intensity greater than 5 on the Richter scale occurred in the country. A fact that should ring the alarm bells in every region of Greece”, valued Ta Nea.
Map in support, the daily lists the most important tremors of the past year in the four corners of the territory: 5.4 in Antikythera or Thessaloniki, 5.7 in Tilos, 6.1 in Karpathos, 6.3 in Elanossa or in Crete.
“Prevention plans cover the whole country, but very often the services are negligent and inactive”, warns the newspaper.