Panayiotis Varotsos

{{Short description|Greek physicist (born 1947)}}

File:PanayotisVarotsos2008WatchingLectureAtUniversityOfAthensGreece.jpg

Panayiotis Varotsos ({{langx|el|Παναγιώτης Βαρώτσος}}; born November 28, 1947 in Patras) is a Greek physicist and former professor in the Department of Physics of the University of Athens, notable for his VAN method to predict earthquakes.{{cite book |title=Earthquake Prediction by Seismic Electric Signals: The Success of the VAN method over thirty years

|author=Mary S. Lazaridou-Varotsos |year=2013

|publisher=Springer-Praxis |isbn=978-3-642-24405-6 |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-24406-3|s2cid=127712703 }}

His group claims the ability to identify electromagnetic signals that are precursors to earthquakes. They suggest the precursors are generated by electricity from piezo-stimulated effects in rocks being stressed just prior to the earthquake rupture. Onassis Foundation Laureate for the Environment (1995). Also awarded by the Academy of Athens (1978) and Empeirikion Foundation (1986). In 2016 the Union of Greek Physicists honoured him for his work with a prize delivered by the President of Greece.{{Cite web|url=http://www.presidency.gr/?p=12041|title=Προεδρία της Δημοκρατίας » Χαιρετισμός του Προέδρου της Δημοκρατίας κ.Προκόπιου Παυλόπουλου στην εκδήλωση που διοργάνωσε η Ένωση Ελλήνων Φυσικών με θέμα: "Οι μαθητές συναντούν την Φυσική και η Φυσική μαγεύει" στο Τ.Ε.Ι. Αθηνών|website=www.presidency.gr|access-date=2016-12-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226055102/http://www.presidency.gr/?p=12041|archive-date=2016-12-26|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=Prof. P. Varotsos got Greek President awards|publisher=EMSEN IUGG Inter-Association - Electromagnetic Studies of Earthquakes and Volcanoes|url=http://www.emsev-iugg.org/emsev/posts/news3.html|year=2017|access-date=2021-02-08}}