Scientists said that the largest earthquake in the Mediterranean was not what we thought

History tells us that in AD 365, the Mediterranean region was hit by a powerful earthquake of 8.0 or higher. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami killed tens of thousands of people and devastated Alexandria, Egypt, and several other cities.

However, new research now indicates that some of the earlier assumptions about the earthquake and its seismic legacy may not hold true – and the results could mean drastic changes to earthquake and tsunami modeling in the region today.

So far, the general consensus has been that the Hellenic subduction zone under the island of Crete caused the gigantic earthquake, but the latest evidence suggests that a group of “ natural faults ” off the west and southwest coast of Crete may have been behind the rise of vast areas of openings. The “fossil beach” along the coast of Crete.

Fossil shoreline around Crete, showing ground level rise. (Richard Ott)

The researchers write in their paper: “Our findings collectively favor the explanation that devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in the eastern Mediterranean can arise from normal faults, highlighting the potential danger from regular faults earthquakes resulting from the tsunami in the painting. Upper “.

By studying exposed fossil shores by seismic levitation and applying radiocarbon dating techniques, researchers have been able to work backwards to find out more precisely how the Earth has actually turned to produce fractured landscapes.

The elevation of the land around the shores – to a height of about 9 meters, or nearly 30 feet in some places – has revealed and killed massive quantities of marine creatures, whose shells and skeletons reveal vital clues.

Vermetids and coral reefs were collected from a total of eight sites around Crete, giving the researchers 32 new data points in terms of geological ages. Computer modeling was then used to match these dates and locations with potential seismic activity, taking into account the historical literature on earthquakes in the area as well.

The results indicate that a series of earthquakes in the first centuries of the millennium likely caused the rise, before the legendary AD 365 earthquake, which was previously assumed to be the culprit.

The new hypothesis is supported by some other evidence, including the apparent abandonment of the ancient harbor at Valasarna around 66 CE – although the research team admits that the data are by no means conclusive at this point.

In other words, natural faults in the area may have been able to destroy more than previously thought, and the AD 365 earthquake – which does not appear to have exposed these portions of the fossil shore – may have originated from natural faults, not the Hellenic subduction zone as many had thought.

This isn’t just a historical curiosity either: it means that recent earthquake predictions and modeling may need adjusting.

While the risk from the Hellenic subduction zone may be lower than previously thought, the risk from multiple normal defects could be greater than we realized – especially in terms of cluster timing, which has been observed in studies before.

The researchers want to see more seismic measurements and recordings taken around the Mediterranean region, especially offshore (where the bulk of the data was taken from this study).

The researchers concluded in their published paper that “based on these results and best agreement with the long-term record of crustal expansion in the region, we prefer the natural fault origin of 365 AD and previous earthquakes.”

“We note, however, that more research, particularly geophysical imaging, is required to adequately understand the tectonic and seismic hazards in the Hellenic subduction zone.”

The research has been published in AGU Advances.

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