Seismologist Sylvana Pilidou, Senior Geological Officer at the Department of Geological Survey, has told CNA that Cyprus is in the process of revising its seismic zones.
Pilidou spoke to CNA on the occasion of the devastating 7.4 Richter earthquake that occurred yesterday in Colombia, as well as the successive earthquakes in Venezuela of 7.2 and 7.5 Richter in June. She said that these are two of different origins, destructive seismic events of similar magnitude, which are not directly related but occurred in the same broader tectonic neighborhood.
As regards Cyprus, she said that the revision of the seismic zones that is underway is being done because we now have much better knowledge of the faults in our region as well as detailed and accurate earthquake catalogues of our region. In addition, she said, the microzonation studies in our main urban centers have been completed, which provide in detail the behavior of our soils under earthquake conditions.
Pilidou said that in Cyprus we are now building with strict building codes, and with updated scientific data we are strengthening the resilience of our structures even more against seismic risk.
Moreover, she noted that scientific knowledge, proper earthquake-resistant construction and new technologies can significantly reduce the effects of future major earthquakes.
Pilidou referred to the double earthquake in Venezuela (two consecutive earthquakes with magnitudes Mw7.2 and Mw7.5) on 24/6/2026 saying that they occurred at the boundary where two tectonic plates slide horizontally relative to each other, while the earthquake in Colombia with magnitude Mw7.4 on 10/8/2026 occurred in a zone where two plates collide with each other and one sinks beneath the other.
“So, we had two – of different origin – destructive seismic events of similar magnitude, which are not directly related, but occurred in the same broader tectonic neighborhood,” she pointed out.
Pilidou told CNA that due to their different tectonic origin, the earthquake in Venezuela was shallow while the earthquake in Colombia had a deep focus (100-110km).
This, she continued, resulted in the Venezuelan earthquake having locally very high intensity, while the Colombian earthquake had locally lower intensity but affecting a larger area on the Earth’s surface with intense ground vibrations.
She noted that the large focal depth of the Colombian earthquake has fortunately mitigated its destructiveness in relation to the Venezuelan earthquake, which in addition to its shallow-focus nature was also a doublet, thus causing particularly severe and prolonged ground vibrations.
Beyond these differences, however, she noted that some common unfavorable geological, soil and construction factors contributed to the tragic consequences of both earthquakes.
Asked about Cyprus, Pilidou said that the seismic design of buildings is undertaken by civil engineers based on the seismic zone map and added that seismic zones estimate how strong the ground movement is expected in each area, in a statistical framework.
“They are part of the relevant Eurocode, as the main tool for the seismic design of structures,” she went on to say.
As geoscientists, she continued, “we contribute to the protection from earthquake phenomena through the continuous monitoring and evaluation of the seismicity of the Cyprus area, the study and mapping of faults and geological characteristics of the area, etc., so that the seismic protection measures of our country are based on realistic models of the seismic risk of Cyprus, through a reliable seismic zones map.”
She noted that the seismic zones of Cyprus that are now in effect were officially issued in 2004 and were based on data available before 1994.
“We have been in the process of revising the seismic zones of Cyprus for a year now, in collaboration with experts from Cyprus and abroad,” Pilidou told CNA.
Asked why they are being revised now, she replied “because we now have much better knowledge of the faults in our region, we have detailed and accurate earthquake catalogues of our region, and we have now completed microzonation studies in our main urban centers, which provide in detail the behavior of our soils under earthquake conditions.”
She also said that Eurocode 8 (which sets out European standards for the earthquake-resistant design of structures) is currently in a renewal period.
Each country, Pilidou said, adapts the Eurocode to its own geological conditions, through a national annex.
“Thus, the revised seismic zones will soon be incorporated into the relevant annex for Cyprus of the new Eurocode,” she stressed.
Pilidou told CNA that indeed, in Cyprus we are now building with strict building codes, and with updated scientific data we are strengthening the resilience of our structures even further against seismic risk.
Pilidou told CNA that early warning systems for earthquakes have begun to operate in some countries.
She clarified that although these systems do not predict earthquakes, they sometimes offer valuable time (even seconds) for protection and safety measures.
Asked whether this system can be implemented in Cyprus, she said that this would be difficult.
“It is difficult to successfully implement such a classic system in Cyprus,” she said, and explained that “the positions of the ground motion sensors and the geographical distribution of Cyprus’ seismicity, combined with the size of our island, but also the propagation speeds of seismic waves through the Earth’s interior, makes early warning difficult.”
Pilidou said that there is however, the Google Android Earthquake Alerts System that also operates in Cyprus. It uses, she explained, more than 2 billion Android mobile phones of citizens worldwide, through the built-in motion sensors they have, as a global, digital, live seismological network.
The system, she explained, quickly estimates the parameters of an earthquake and sends notifications to mobile phones in areas where strong vibrations are expected.
“It can give a warning of a few seconds, or not at all, since it takes time both for the calculations and for the transmission of the warnings,” she said.
The system has been operating in Cyprus in recent years and was partially activated in the two M>5.0 earthquakes in Paphos in 2025.
“In some cases, it gave precious seconds of warning,” Pilidou noted.
In conclusion, she said that earthquakes are still unpredictable, noting, however, that this does not mean that we are defenseless before the danger they pose.
“Scientific knowledge, proper earthquake-resistant construction and new technologies can significantly reduce the effects of a future major earthquake,” she said.
And this, Pilidou told CNA, is perhaps the most important message following the tragedies of Venezuela and Colombia.