“The aggressive seismic sequence has started to change,” states Gerasimos Papadopoulos, following the barrage of tremors off the coast of Amorgos. According to Mr. Papadopoulos, “Today, there is a slight shift that suggests a small neighboring fault to the east of the seismic zone—where the tremors had been originating—may have been activated.”

“Since yesterday, we’ve had a glimmer of optimism. Today, the maximum recorded magnitude was 4.9 Richter, and last night, we had a 5.0. Nevertheless, these relatively larger quakes do not close the window of optimism. Day by day, we will update our analysis, and nature will show us where we are headed—provided we interpret it correctly. I am slightly optimistic, but I say this with great caution. In any case, we are not seeing the intense signs that were present in the early days when the foreshock sequence was unfolding. The aggressive foreshock sequence has begun to change in behavioral characteristics,” Mr. Papadopoulos told MEGA.

Following the 5.3 Richter earthquake on the night of February 5, “Over the past two to three days, we have seen a slight decrease in the number of quakes with magnitudes above 3.0. The average earthquake magnitude is starting to decline, despite the 5.0 yesterday and the 4.9 a few hours ago. These are the two signs that give us a hopeful outlook that we may have entered a phase of stress release, transitioning into an aftershock sequence.”

According to Mr. Papadopoulos, “Today, we also observe a new characteristic. The two largest-magnitude quakes appear, for the first time, to be changing the way the fault is breaking. Up until now, all earthquakes had the same rupture mechanism along the activated fault. Today, we see a slight variation, which suggests that a small neighboring fault to the east of the currently active seismic zone may have been triggered. This could be added to the optimistic signs, but we must wait. We must allow nature to ‘gift’ us with more data so we can piece everything together and provide the stronger sense of optimism that we all need. Above all, patience.”