Tsunamis
The 1956 Amorgos Tsunami was triggered by a 7.7 earthquake with an epicenter south the the island of Amorgos, which is off the coast of Greece in the Aegean Sea. This tsunami affected Amorgos, Santorini, and other Aegean islands. It had a maximum run-up, which is the height of the wave when it reaches the shore, of 30 meters and killed three people. Tsunamis are caused by underwater earthquakes, which are most common in subduction zones. The heavier, denser oceanic crust slips under the continental crust, which causes the continental crust to surge upwards. This is mirrored on the surface of the ocean. The water crashes back down, which creates a huge wave.
Tsunamis have had huge impacts on economy, culture, and infrastructure in Ancient Greece throughout history. A mega tsunami in 365 CE hastened the downfall of the Roman Empire by creating widespread destruction in a time of general unrest. In the days before tsunami near Corinth in 372 BCE, all the animals left the fields. Tsunamis also greatly impacted the religion of Ancient Greece. Whenever a city was hit by a tsunami, they thought that the people of the city had somehow angered Poseidon, the god of the sea. For example, during the Persian War, a tsunami in 479 BCE destroyed King Xerxes’ fleet. The people of Potidea thought this was because the invading Persians had defaced a statue of Poseidon, and the god was taking his revenge. During construction of the harbor in Alexandria, a tsunami in 331 BCE destroyed it, causing the architects to redesign it to be stronger. Lastly, and earthquake and tsunami in 365 CE leveled the ancient city of Pafos, reducing it from a busy trade hub and bustling city to a small fishing village.
Works Cited
Papadimitriou, Eleftheria, Karakostas, Vassilios, Sourlas, Georgios “Seismicity
Variations in the Southern Aegean, Greece, Before and After the Large (M7.7)
1956 Amorgos Earthquake Due to Evolving Stress” Pure and Applied Geophysics
22 June 2009 15 March 2017
Garbuny Vogel, Carole Science Explorer: Inside Earth Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2000. Print.
“Tsunami Diagram” Digital Image. Scholastic 17 March 2017 teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/magazines/assets/
sn_ts_031111_diagram.html> Shimbun, Mainichi “The wave of a tsunami crashes over a street in Miyako City, Japan” Digital Image.
The Telegraph 17 March 2017 news/picturegalleries/worldnews/9131914/Japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-anniversary-30-
powerful-images-of-the-disaster.html>
PARARAS-CARAYANNIS, Dr. GEORGE. “EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI OF JULY 21, 365 AD IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Review of Impact on the Ancient World - Assessment of Recurrence and Future Impact.” DISASTER PAGES of Dr. GEORGE
PARARAS-CARAYANNIS. November 4, 2011. March 16, 2017. http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami365ADeEastMedSea.html
Variations in the Southern Aegean, Greece, Before and After the Large (M7.7)
1956 Amorgos Earthquake Due to Evolving Stress” Pure and Applied Geophysics
22 June 2009 15 March 2017
Garbuny Vogel, Carole Science Explorer: Inside Earth Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2000. Print.
“Tsunami Diagram” Digital Image. Scholastic 17 March 2017 teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/magazines/assets/
sn_ts_031111_diagram.html> Shimbun, Mainichi “The wave of a tsunami crashes over a street in Miyako City, Japan” Digital Image.
The Telegraph 17 March 2017 news/picturegalleries/worldnews/9131914/Japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-anniversary-30-
powerful-images-of-the-disaster.html>
PARARAS-CARAYANNIS, Dr. GEORGE. “EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI OF JULY 21, 365 AD IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Review of Impact on the Ancient World - Assessment of Recurrence and Future Impact.” DISASTER PAGES of Dr. GEORGE
PARARAS-CARAYANNIS. November 4, 2011. March 16, 2017. http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami365ADeEastMedSea.html