Leading Maltese Geologist Says Latest Earthquakes ‘Should Be Taken Very Seriously’ As Possible Precursors
Leading Maltese geologist Peter Gatt has addressed the latest earthquakes that Malta has been experiencing, saying that “they should be taken very seriously” as they could possibly be precursors.
This comes after Malta has just witnessed its seventeenth tremor in just days, which have all occurred within the same area, along the Melita Graben structure.
“In the past few days, there has been a swarm of earthquakes in the Southern part of Malta. These magnitude four to five earthquakes are located along an enigmatic structure known as the Melita Graben,” Gatt said on social media.
“This NNE-SSW graben parallels the much older Malta Escarpment (ME) on the east and the two structures have similar geodynamics which may mean they are linked.”
“The ME is an area of concern to public safety. The strong 1693 earthquake that devasted southeast Sicily is linked to movement along the fault that produced the ME,” he explained.
He continued by posing the question, of whether these earthquakes along the Melita Graben of the past few days are a precursor to activity along the ME.
“Seismic activity along the ME which is the result of tectonic subduction of the Ionian crust should be taken very seriously,” he warned.
Last night, another 5.2 magnitude earthquake was registered, with many localities such as Rabat reporting feeling the tremor for as long as 10 seconds.
People residing in Malta have already expressed concerns about whether these earthquakes could be of a precursory nature to a much bigger earthquake that could cause widespread devastation.
Have the latest earthquakes concerned you?
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