The possibility of a large earthquake occurring in the Greek arc at some point in the future was mentioned by the Professor of Natural Disasters and Academician, Kostas Synolakis.

Speaking to ERT, Mr. Synolakis and when he was asked in the event of a major earthquake, of the order of 8.5 Richter said that “Of course there is that possibility” based on historical evidence.

“If you go to the Archaeological Museum of Chania you will see that there is an exhibit that talks about the very big earthquake that happened in western Crete in 365 AD. And where do we know this earthquake? From the descriptions… It is then that Alexandria disappears as a global city. Alexandria was until then the center of at least Greek civilization. It disappears (s.s. Alexandria) because it is completely destroyed by a large tsunami, which is created by this earthquake. And we can know how big this earthquake was from the tectonic opening. That is, there are places in western Crete, e.g. in Falasarna, which is an amazing natural beach, where there is an old port which has been raised and is 8 meters above the sea. How did it go up? In Sfakia you see the old coastline which is two meters, that is, they rose two meters above the surface. You can see it too, you don’t have to be a geologist” he stated.

As he himself explained about the 8.5 Richter this is not a prediction but an indication. “What has happened in the past is an indication that it can happen again” he said characteristically.