French scientists from the research center of the University of Côte d'Azur, in collaboration with their Greek colleagues from the Institute of Geodynamics, plan to install seismographs in the marine area between Amorgos and Santorini to better monitor the seismic activity in the region.
A series of earthquakes has been recorded there, and in early February, 10,000 people were evacuated from Amorgos. Maria Sahpazi, the research director at the Institute of Geodynamics, considers the "recurrent sequence of earthquakes a true mystery." "The source is likely linked to an unpredictable tectonic process that can calm down quickly, but can also flare up just as fast," she comments. "This type of seismic activity, characterized by a swarm of earthquakes, has no rules. This pattern could be interpreted as the beginning of a new magma intrusion into the crust. A larger earthquake or explosion may follow, but we cannot say for sure yet."
The increased seismic activity is also concerning the residents of the Phlegraean Fields, a volcanic region west of Naples. There, over 550 tremors were recorded on February 18. Schools in local communities were closed, and authorities and rescuers were put on high alert.
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Giovanni Macedonio, a physicist at the Vesuvius Observatory of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, believes that the Italian scenario is different from what is happening in Greece. "The tremors near Naples are related to the volcanic nature of the region," he explains. "In the Santorini area, the earthquakes are caused by the collision of the African Plate with the Aegean Plate, and this is a large-scale tectonic phenomenon."
Earthquakes in the Phlegraean Fields do not exceed 4 on the Richter scale, but since their epicenter is very close to the surface, they are felt by the population.