Data for the investigation of the seismic sea-waves in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

This paper is condensed from data compiled for the investigation of the seismic sea-waves in the Eastern Mediterranean (31-44° N to 18-36° E). It contains the results of the first stage of the study which, in its greater part, consists of a list of waves about which we found useful data for a correlation between the seismicity and the sea-floor morphology of the region. It is shown that the Eastern Mediterranean is often subject to seismic sea-waves, whose intensity varies from “light” to “strong.” Waves of higher intensities are very rare and strongly local. There are good reasons to believe that certain areas of the region give rise to waves, whose origin must be sought in submarine landslides. For certain central areas of the Grecian Archipelago, crustal tilting rather than tectonic deformations of the sea-floor seems to be a very probable cause for some of the waves observed. Finally, a brief survey of some early ideas about the mechanism of seismic sea-waves is included.