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Greece’s top tourist island has been forced to shut its schools on Monday due to an increase in seismic activity in the area.
Authorities have advised people on the Aegean island of Santorini to also avoid two small ports and refrain from gathering in indoor spaces after increased tremors in the area over recent days.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has echoed this warning to British tourists in the region.
Santorini is one of Greece’s top tourist destinations, drawing visitors from across the world for its whitewashed houses and blue-domed churches clinging to the cliff edge of the flooded caldera.
It was the site of one of largest volcanic eruptions in human history, which took place in the Bronze Age around 1620 BC, destroying a large part of the island and giving Santorini its current shape.
Just last month a surge in volcanic activity was reported on the crescent-shaped island.
A series of tremors up to a 4.3 magnitude were registered on Friday and Saturday in the area between the volcanic island of Santorini and Amorgos, the civil protection ministry said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.
The ministry said the activity was not linked to volcanic activity and was receding, but experts had proposed precautionary measures including the school closures on February 3. They also urged people to not access or remain at the small port of Ammoudi and the harbour of Fira, which serves mainly cruise ships.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) published guidance from the Greek Ministry of Civil Protection affecting both Santorini and the island of Amorgos.
The warning read: “The Greek Ministry of Civil Protection has issued advice for Santorini (Thira) and Amorgos, following increased seismic activity in the area. Schools will remain closed on Monday 3 February 2025, and people are advised not to attend large indoors gatherings and to avoid the ports of Amoudi and Old Port (Paleos Limenas) in the area of Fira.”
In January the Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ministry had a meeting with local officials on the island following the detection of “mild seismic-volcanic activity” within Santorini’s caldera.
Monitoring sensors picked up the activity, echoing a similar event in 2011 which lasted 14 months without incident.
Scientists observing the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, a geological formation spanning from southern Greece’s Peloponnese region through the Cycladic islands, have reported increased activity along a central fault line in the northern section of Santorini’s caldera.
While the current activity is described as mild, authorities are taking precautionary measures given the island’s popularity as a tourist destination.
Earthquakes measuring between 2.8 and 4.5 struck the area on Sunday morning, according to the Athens Geodynamic institute, without causing damage. Greece sits on multiple fault lines and is often rattled by earthquakes.
