Monday, September 22, 04:30 – A strong earthquake of 4.8 magnitude occurred this morning in Northern Greece.

The quake was focused on the promontory of Mount Athos, the far eastern arm of the Halkidiki peninsula and struck at 04:20 with a focal depth of 11.8 km. It was strongly felt on the nearby island of Thassos and as far as Thessaloniki.

No reports of damage have been reported so far.

Shortly after the first quake, there were three aftershocks of magnitude 3.3, 2.6, and 2.2 in the sea area just off the west coast of Mount Athos, and it is likely there will be more in the coming hours.

Update 05:45 – So far, there have been 10 aftershocks ranging from 2.1 to 2.7 magnitudes.

Update 08:00 – Aftershocks continue with a total of 15 so far, with a magnitude range of 1.8 to 2.7 on the Richter scale. No injuries or serious damage have so far been reported.

Update 15:00 – There have now been 22 mild aftershocks after the initial 4.8 magnitude quake early this morning.

Minor damage has been caused to three monasteries on Mount Athos, these are the monasteries of Chilandari, Dochiari and mainly the monastery of Iviron.

Care should be taken when driving on Thassos in the next 24 hours as the seismic activity may have brought down rocks and debris onto the island’s roads.

The seismic activity on ​​Mount Athos has been ongoing for over a year and a half, but experts are reassured that it has been limited to the centre of the peninsula and the marine area just off the coast to the west. However, scientists are monitoring the situation.

Mount Athos is home to a unique monastic society and is considered the spiritual capital of the Orthodox world. It’s an autonomous region within Greece and is characterised by its deep monastic history, with 20 monasteries and numerous other monastic communities. Due to the Avaton (a prohibition against females), women are forbidden from entering the monastic state.