April 3, 1851 Earthquake: Levisi, Turkey
An earthquake struck Levisi, Turkey on April 3, 1851 at 16:30 UTC. It caused a tsunami.
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
- April 3, 1851
- Time
- 16:30 UTC
- Place
- Levisi, Turkey
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 36.400° N, 28.700° E
- Country
- Turkey
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
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.
1851 Apr 03. This was the largest shock of the series which began on 28 February in Makri. It occurred at 16 h 30 m and was very widely felt. Levisi on the mainland was totally destroyed, and in Makri the sea rose well above its normal level, flooding the coast permanently, but causing no damage. Further inland the shock triggered new landslides and rock falls and in places the ground opened up. Smoke (dust?) was seen rising from the mountains. In Rhodes the shock was very strong but caused no damage. It was felt slightly in Crete and Cairo, but not in Thebes. Shocks continued for a short while, no more than a few hours (Perrey 1852, 361–362; BBA IMV 6790, 29 March O.S. 1267 (1851)). (reference #9116)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 1491, Kos, Greece
- September 20, 1899, Sultanhisar,atca,nazilli,kuyucak,denizli, Turkey
- April 22, 1863, Rhodes, Kos, Greece
- April 23, 1933, Dodecanese Islands, Greece
- May 12, 1971, Burdur, Turkey
- July 16, 1955, Samos, Soke, Aydin, Greece, Turkey
- April 25, 1957, Fethiye (Lycia, Asia Minor), Turkey
- December 21, 1945, Denizli, Burdur, Turkey
- August 19, 1976, Denizli, Turkey
- December 1, 1869, Gulf of Keramos, Mentese, Turkey
- July 20, 2017, Kos, Bodrum, Datca, Greece, Turkey
- June 2, 2025, Fethiye, Turkey
- April 24, 1957, Turkey
- June 10, 2012, Rhodes, Fethiye, Greece, Turkey
- 155, Dodecanese Islands, Greece
More
Significant earthquakes of 1851The 1800sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
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 10592.