03.02.2025 23:20
Professor Dr. Serkan Irmak, a faculty member of the Department of Geophysics at Kocaeli University, issued a tsunami warning regarding the earthquake swarm in the Aegean Sea. Irmak stated, "If there is an eruption similar to the large explosive eruptions observed in the past on Santorini Island, it could lead to a tsunami. Citizens should take care to evacuate to higher ground in such a situation."
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Kocaeli University (KOÜ) Faculty of Engineering Geophysics Department Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Serkan Irmak warned about a tsunami related to the earthquake swarm that occurred in the Aegean Sea, stating, "If there is an explosive eruption similar to the previous eruption pattern of Santorini Island, it could lead to a tsunami. Because the Kolumbo volcano is a volcano that is relatively submerged. There is a tsunami risk for the Aegean coasts. Although the 12 islands act as a barrier, such a risk could still arise on the Aegean coasts in the event of a volcanic eruption," he said.
"THERE HAS BEEN A MOVEMENT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY" Prof. Dr. Serkan Irmak, a faculty member of the KOÜ Faculty of Engineering Geophysics Department, evaluated the earthquakes occurring in the Aegean Sea. He stated that this situation is an event they call 'earthquake swarm,' saying, "Earthquake swarm means thousands of earthquakes occurring simultaneously in a very short time. What we are experiencing in the Aegean right now is this. When you look at the seismic activity, there has actually been a movement that started at the beginning of January. However, we are facing a significantly increased movement in recent days. Of course, seismicology centers announce earthquakes above a certain magnitude, but I am sure there are many more earthquakes at the micro earthquake level. Probably thousands of earthquakes have been recorded or occurred in the last few days," he said.
"SANTORINI ISLAND IS AN ACTIVE VOLCANO" Pointing out volcanic movements, Prof. Dr. Irmak said, "One of the reasons for the formation of earthquake swarms is volcanic movements. Before volcanoes erupt, they create micro earthquakes that cause small fractures around them as magma rises or moves upward. The place where this earthquake swarm is occurring is Santorini Island, which is also an active volcano. It had a very large eruption in 1600 BC. It occurs immediately to the northeast. There is another volcano named Kolumbo to the northeast, which also erupted in 1650. Therefore, the probability that these earthquakes are due to volcanic movement or magma movement is quite high. There are earthquakes exceeding 5. Earthquakes exceeding 5 are not very common among such volcanic earthquakes, but we are seeing them in this region," he stated.
Prof. Dr. Serkan Irmak "THERE MAY BE A TSUNAMI RISK ON THE AEGEAN COASTS" Speaking about the possible consequences, Irmak said, "If there is an explosive eruption similar to the previous eruption pattern of Santorini Island, it could lead to a tsunami. Because the Kolumbo volcano is a volcano that is relatively submerged. There is a tsunami risk for the Aegean coasts. Although the 12 islands act as a barrier, such a risk could still arise on the Aegean coasts in the event of a volcanic eruption. If it triggers a large earthquake and leads to an earthquake occurrence, it is evident that this earthquake will be felt on the Aegean coasts due to the rupture characteristics," he said.
"IT WILL NOT AFFECT THE FAULT LINES IN THE AEGEAN MUCH" Responding to the question of whether there is a fault line that could be triggered in the Aegean, Prof. Dr. Irmak said, "From Turkey's perspective, there is none. The stress transfers and tension that the earthquakes there will cause will not significantly affect the major fault lines in the Aegean." Speaking about the situation in Greece, Irmak stated, "Even if the volcano erupts or there is an earthquake, it is almost equidistant from both sides. That is, we can think of it as a place equidistant from the Greek mainland and the Turkish mainland. It will have a greater impact on the surrounding islands, and there is a dense population in the surrounding islands. Our luck is this; since the micro earthquakes that occur before the volcanic eruption indicate that there will be an activity, we are a bit luckier in terms of evacuation," he said.
"THEY SHOULD BE CAREFUL TO FLEE TO HIGHER PLACES" Prof. Dr. Irmak also emphasized the importance of the movement pattern before a tsunami, stating, "When a tsunami occurs, you first see the sea receding, and then the waves start to come. If citizens living on the coasts witness such a thing, they should be careful to flee to higher places," he said.
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