Scientists have been reassuring the public following the 6.1 magnitude earthquake which occurred off Kasos at 01:50 this morning (14th May). The epicentre was located 20 km south of Kasos at a focal depth of 64.4.km, and was strongly felt in both Crete and Rhodes. The tremor was strong enough to trigger a tsunami warning on the 112 emergency SMS system.

Speaking to ERT’s early-morning news programme, the president of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Organisation, Professor Efthymios Lekkas, said that the tremor had occurred on the Hellenic Arc, where the European and African plates collide. Its main characteristic was the extreme depth of some 60 km, which meant that the movement was attenuated by the time it arrived in Kasos and Karpathos, and even more so in Crete. First reports from the inhabitants suggested that there had been no major consequences.

The second important feature, according to Professor Lekkas, is that at that depth earthquakes are one-off phenomena, with neither a major pre-seismic nor post-seismic sequence. Asked if there was any connection between the current tremor and the recent ones at Santorini and in Turkey, the Professor was categorical: “The geophysical context is completely different, here we are right on top of the Hellenic Arc, whereas the earthquakes in Santorini are in a completely different environment on the volcanic arc, and in Turkey they are along the length of the Anatolian fault.”

The mayor of Kasos Michail Erotokritos confirmed that so far there have been no consequences from the strong tremor, and likewise in Karpathos. According to ERT’s correspondent in Heraklion Giorgos Papadakis, the tremor was particularly strongly felt in Eastern Crete, where again there have so far been no reports of damage. Despite the long distance of Heraklion from the epicentre, the tremor manifested as three fluctuating “waves” lasting at least 15 seconds.

Referring to the possibility of a tsunami, Professor Lekkas said that a tremor of 6.0 Richter can produce a tsunami, but there is no way of knowing this from the start. In this case, he said, “Essentially, there was no fracturing of the sea bed, the disturbance did not reach the sea bed and so we did not have a tsunami. However, a tsunami can be produced by undersea landslides which can develop under the surface, so it is a good thing to send the warning, even if there is no great likelihood of our seeing such a tsunami. In any case, I don’t think there is any cause for anxiety. I spoke to the mayors in those areas and they told me that at least with the data which are available there have not been any rockfalls.” he said.
(Haniotika Nea, Ertnews.gr, 14/05/25)