The Late Minoan tsunami in the eastern Mediterranean: a re-examination
by
Dale Dominey-Howes
Centre for Earth and Environmental Science Research, School of Earth Sciences and Geography, Faculty of Science, Kingston University, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom

It has long been speculated that the paroxysmal eruption of Santorini volcano (circa 3,500 BP) referred to as the Late Minoan (LM) eruption resulted in the generation of a tsunami. The occurrence and probable impacts of this tsunami have frequently been cited in the text of scientific papers and articles and appear to have been assumed as proven. This presentation reviews the arguments previously forwarded to imply the occurrence of the tsunami and summarises the archaeological and geological evidence. The presentation then re-examines the original arguments presented for an LM tsunami in the light of recent volcanological investigations. This indicates that previously published arguments may be challenged because the assumptions on which they were based are flawed. The re-analysis of the original tsunami hypothesis indicates that there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that a large tsunami propagated throughout the eastern Mediterranean circa 3,500 years BP.

Date received: August 7, 2002