3.3 Richter quake south of Goudouras, Lasithi

A seismic tremor of magnitude 3.3 on the Richter scale was recorded at 12:39 in the afternoon on Wednesday 2 September 2026, with the epicentre at sea, approximately 15 kilometres south-southeast of Goudouras, in the regional unit of Lasithi, in eastern Crete. According to the automatic solution of the Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens, the focal depth of the tremor was calculated at 14.3 kilometres. The tremor was recorded and published the same day by both Nea Crete and Voice of Malvezio, with the two reports agreeing on the magnitude, the time and the focal depth. It is worth noting, however, an inconsistency: the URL of the Nea Crete report refers to Chania, while the article text itself clearly identifies the epicentre in Lasithi, as Voice of Malvezio also states.

The marine area south of eastern Crete falls within the Hellenic Arc, the zone where the African plate gradually subducts beneath the Eurasian plate, a fact that makes all of Crete one of the most seismically active regions in the country. The Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens constantly monitors the seismicity of this marine zone south of Lasithi, where tremors of small to moderate magnitude are recorded with relative frequency as part of the normal operation of the geological background. A magnitude of 3.3 on the Richter scale is classified as a mild tremor, comparable with many that are recorded on a weekly basis at various points in Greece, usually without even being felt by the population. The recording of such tremors by the network instruments is not, in itself, an indication of unusual activity.

By Wednesday afternoon, no damage or injuries had been reported from the tremor, neither in Goudouras nor in the surrounding settlements of Lasithi, according to what the two reports recorded. The marine location of the epicentre, combined with the moderate magnitude and the focal depth of 14.3 kilometres, explain why the tremor was likely not particularly felt on land, nor caused concern beyond the usual. Similar incidents are recorded periodically in the southern marine zone of Crete without being accompanied by impacts on infrastructure, the road network or the daily life of residents in the wider Lasithi area.

The automatic solution of the Geodynamic Institute, as happens with every first estimate after a seismic tremor, is expected to be re-examined and possibly revised as to the magnitude, the focal depth or the precise location of the epicentre, as the data from the network seismographs are further processed by experts in the following hours and days. This is a standard procedure that is applied to every recording before the information is finalised. The seismograph network continues to monitor the wider Lasithi area and the marine zone south of Crete, as is done with every tremor recorded in Greece, with no indication at present of any change in seismic activity beyond the usual.