A new study identifies the source of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in the Mediterranean

This map shows typical tsunami heights on the coasts of the eastern Mediterranean … [+] Sea, triggered by the largest earthquake ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea on July 21, 365.

OTT et al. 2021

On the morning of July 21, 365 AD, an earthquake was rocked in the eastern Mediterranean believed to be the strongest earthquake on record in the Mediterranean. It may have originated around the island of Crete, Greece, and was followed by a tsunami that struck the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea causing many deaths. In Alexandria, the devastation of the tsunami was so severe that the event’s day was celebrated as a “day of terror” for centuries after the event.

Geologists believe that the earthquake and tsunami were caused by the rise of the sea floor along a thrust fault, but this may not be the case at all.

The earthquake was strong enough to lift parts of Crete by several meters. The turmoil left the island behind fossil shores, which Richard Ott, a scientist at the German GFZ Research Center for Geosciences, and his colleagues studied to reconstruct the event.

The new study, published in AGU Advances, used radiocarbon dating to understand when and how beaches were raised on Crete and used this information to model the source of earthquakes and tsunamis.

Understanding any fault, which is a fracture of the Earth’s crust, in which the earthquake originated is important for understanding the hazards of earthquakes and tsunamis in the Mediterranean.

A hint of the mighty powers that raised Crete from the ruins of the ancient harbor city of Phalasarna can be found in western Crete. People visiting today can explore a beautiful, well-preserved pier from the Roman period. However, this pier is now several hundred meters from the sea and several meters above sea level.

Another strange phenomenon is in western Crete. Something like a fissure can be recognized in the coastal cliffs parallel to the sea. This fissure is what scientists call a fossil shoreline and marks where sea level is in the past. Nowadays it is found up to 9 meters (30 feet) above sea level in western Crete.

An old earthquake was powerful enough to lift parts of Crete by several meters. This incision … [+] Formed by eroding waves and signs where sea level was in the past.

OTT et al. 2021

In the new study, Ott and colleagues refined the dating of this fossil coastline and compared data from many samples with historical records of earthquakes by ancient writers.

Radiocarbon analysis of fossils below this fossil shoreline in western Crete can help determine when disturbances occurred on the island. Ott and his team collected fossil specimens of verminated plants (Dendropoma sp.) And corals (Balanophyllia sp.) From Krios paleoshoreline at eight different sites in western Crete. The shells and skeletons of these dead marine creatures indicate when the rise occurred because they died when the earthquake raised them above sea level.

The team of scientists found that the fossil shoreline may not have risen due to one major earthquake, but by a series of powerful earthquakes around Crete in the first centuries AD. The new find coincides with archaeological investigations indicating that the ancient port at Valasarna was actually abandoned after the earthquake of AD 66.

A hint of the mighty powers that raised Crete can be found on the ruins of an ancient harbor … [+] A town in Phalasarna in western Crete, now several hundred meters from the sea and about seven meters above sea level.

OTT et al. 2021

In contrast to previous studies, the team found that natural faults are likely responsible for this earthquake sequence. Natural defects are a specific type of fracture in the earth’s crust that occurs when the earth’s crust is loosened or expanded. Scientists modeled the spread of tsunamis from earthquakes over these normal faults, and found that their new type of model could well explain the tsunami report from Alexandria by Amianus Marcellinus, a historical writer.

These results indicate that earthquakes on such natural faults may be a common cause of tsunamis in the Mediterranean. The authors estimate that the magnitude of the earthquake in AD 365 was less than 8 megawatts, which is lower than previous estimates of 8.3-8.5 megawatts. However, the study highlights that there is a risk of strong earthquakes in the eastern Mediterranean, and locals and tourists should be educated on how to act in the event of a tsunami.

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