September 1555 Earthquake: Zakynthos, Greece
An earthquake struck Zakynthos, Greece in September 1555.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- September 1555
- Place
- Zakynthos, Greece
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Country
- Greece
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000) with its tsunami and other effects
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
September 1555. […] indiction year 13 of indiction cycle 103 is 1555. Considering that an indiction year started on 1 September, 1 September and 24 November 1555 may represent the terminus post quem and terminus ante quem of the earthquake occurrence, respectively. Furthermore, the letter of the Doge of Venice mentions the awful misfortune that hit the island [Zakynthos] during the past months because of the earthquake. This statement favors the suggestion that the earthquake likely happened during September 1555. (reference #13931)
1554, Zakynthos. A severe earthquake in 1554 on Zakynthos damaged not only a great portion of the walls of the stronghold of the city but also many of the houses in that place. The exact date of the event is not known. Damage was widespread in the island but details are missing […] The damage caused by the earthquake in the town of Zakynthos was still visible a year after the earthquake. (reference #9116)
More
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 10789.