Scientists reveal what triggered Santorini 'earthquake swarm'

Thousands of earthquakes were caused by magma "pumping through" Earth's crust for three months, they say.

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They used physics and artificial intelligence to work out exactly what caused the more than 25,000 earthquakes, which travelled about 20km (12 miles) horizontally through the Earth's crust.

They used each of the tremors as virtual sensors, then used artificial intelligence to analyse patterns associated with them.

One of the lead researchers, Dr Stephen Hicks from UCL, said combining physics and machine learning in this way could help forecast volcanic eruptions.

The seismic activity started to stir beneath the Greek islands of Santorini, Amorgos, and Anafi in January 2025. The islands experienced tens of thousands of earthquakes - many of which were over magnitude 5.0 and could be felt.