Videos have emerged online from the moment a 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Evia, Greece, late on Monday.
One of the videos shows three people sitting at a restaurant table when they realize the trembling. They immediately get up and run for the exit.
In other videos, CCTV footage from supermarkets shows the racks rocking back and forth the moment the tremor strikes, with products falling off the store shelves.
Speaking to in.gr, Athanasios Ganas, research director at the Athens Geodynamic Institute, said the quake occurred along a fault with strike-slip characteristics at an almost vertical inclination. “It is a ‘blind’ fault. Until now, we did not know it existed.”
“We need to wait a few hours for a clearer picture; however, this particular area does not have significant seismic potential,” he added.
Efthymios Lekkas, professor of geology and president of Greece’s Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization (OASP), also said:
“The fault is adjacent to the Oropos area. I don’t believe we are heading toward a larger earthquake. We are expecting aftershocks.”
He added, “It does not appear to be connected to the Oropos faults, which are capable of producing quakes of up to magnitude 6. The area that generated this strong tremor lies between Styra and Marathon.” The quake was felt across parts of the country, including Athens.
The tremor, recorded by the Geodynamic Institute, had its epicenter about five kilometers northwest of Nea Styra at a depth of 13.6 kilometers. It was also felt strongly in Tinos, Skyros, and Boeotia.
