in-cyprus 13 November 2025 - by Vassos Vassiliou
The intense seismic activity that followed the first Paphos earthquake yesterday at 11:31am alarmed the Geological Survey Department.
Five minutes after the 5.3 magnitude earthquake, a 3.9 tremor followed, then a 4.3 quake at the ten-minute mark, and by 3:00pm the number had reached 20, whilst by this morning it stood at 50.
Geological Survey Department director Christodoulos Hadjigeorgiou told Filenews that the entire process of analysing the seismic sequence became more complex because a second, smaller earthquake was being recorded within one earthquake.
The director said the final number will become clear when the full sequence of the two largest earthquakes is analysed.
The frequency of the seismic sequence was unusual, the Geological Survey director noted, adding that some of the earthquakes that followed the initial tremor were felt, which caused concern at the department, which found itself facing unprecedented seismic activity.
Asked whether seismic sequences are observed with other earthquakes, he said this does indeed happen, but not at such an intense rate as occurred yesterday. He said it was something new for them.
Two earthquakes occurred in the same area, which he believes resembles what happened in Turkey, namely two separate earthquakes on the same rift. This was particularly observed between the first and second earthquake, he added.
Answering the question on everyone’s mind about where seismic processes appear to be heading and whether something worse awaits, Hadjichristofi noted they are probably moving towards de-escalation, adding that when dealing with nature, one should not be absolute and make predictions.
Regarding the fact that the earthquake occurred in a land area, the Geological Survey director said there are several active rifts in the region, and obviously one of them was activated.
