Seismologists have expressed concern following the 4.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the Gulf of Corinth on Monday morning, with both Gerasimos Papadopoulos and Vasilis Karastathis noting the absence of aftershocks after the initial tremor.

According to Mr. Papadopoulos, the earthquake involved a rupture with an east-west direction, which is typical for the Gulf of Corinth. However, he emphasized,

“The absence of aftershocks is concerning and makes me cautious, given that the area is particularly prone to foreshock activity.”

Vasilis Karastathis, director of the Geodynamic Institute, voiced a similar concern. Speaking to ERT, he described the 4.8 quake as

“a common event for the region. What worries us right now is that we haven’t seen any aftershock sequence, so we’ll have to wait a few hours to see how the phenomenon evolves.”

Expanding on his concern, Karastathis added:

“One of the things we always evaluate regarding the progression of such phenomena is the aftershock sequence. We expect to see a normal sequence unfold. That said, nature isn’t always obliged to follow typical patterns — there are exceptions. But right now, we lack the necessary data to confidently say the phenomenon is easing.”

Finally, referencing the seismic potential of the region — a point also raised earlier by Efthymios Lekkas — Karastathis noted:

“It’s very significant. We’ve had strong tremors in the nearby area in the past, even over 6. Additionally, nearly three years ago, we had another earthquake of magnitude 5 in the same area, which fortunately didn’t cause any damage in neighboring regions. However, we remain cautious as we wait to see how the situation develops.”