Twin M5.1 earthquakes hit Santorini area, Ios becomes fourth island under state of emergency, Greece

Twin M5.1 earthquakes hit Santorini area, Ios becomes fourth island under state of emergency, Greece

Rishika Yadav

Ios became the fourth island in the Aegean to be placed under a state of emergency on February 15, following the trend set by Santorini on February 6, Amorgos on February 12, and Anafi on February 13, due to the ongoing seismic activity in the region since late January 2025. On January 18, two M5.1 quakes were registered between Santorini and Amorgos, shaking the area with enough intensity to be felt across multiple islands.

Two M5.1 earthquakes struck between the islands of Santorini and Amorgos early on February 18, as an intense seismic swarm continued shaking the region. The quakes, recorded at a depth of 8 km (5 miles) at 04:46 and 06:08 UTC, were the fourth strongest since the sequence began in late January.

This ongoing seismic activity has led to Ios becoming the fourth island in the Aegean to be placed under a state of emergency on February 15, following Santorini, Amorgos, and Anafi. The emergency status will remain in effect until March 14 as authorities continue to assess the region’s stability.Seismologists Dimitris Papanikolaou and Kostas Papazachos have recently dismissed concerns about the formation of a new volcano in the region.

“This is an unprecedented phenomenon,” Papanikolaou said, adding that the seismic sequence could persist for months. He clarified that while magma movement is occurring at depths greater than 5 km (3.1 miles), the likelihood of a volcanic eruption is low.

“There is no chance of a volcanic eruption right now. Both volcanoes are calm,” he added, referring to nearby Santorini and Kolumbos volcanoes.