December 3, 1898 Earthquake: Zakynthos, Greece
An earthquake struck Zakynthos, Greece on December 3, 1898 at 05:57 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
- December 3, 1898
- Time
- 05:57 UTC
- Place
- Zakynthos, Greece
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 37.750° N, 21.000° E
- Country
- Greece
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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.
1898 (1897), December 3. Ionian Sea, Ionian Islands. A strong earthquake occurred on the Island of Zaknthos. The water receded from the shore. (reference #2130)
1898, December 3. 05:50 UTC, 37.35 N, 21 E, Io = VII-VII. At Zakinthos some poor houses and a part of the theater collapsed, small fissures at Amilias, rockslides also in the island Voidi, changes in wells, tsunami, light tsunami. (reference #1099)
03 December 1898. The local meteorological bulletin of NOA reported this event as follows: 3 December 1898, 7.52 am, strong earthquake of 8 s in duration […] According to the [observer] Mr. Minotos, [the shock came] from SE to NW; Mr. De Viazis [local historican and writer] agrees with him and reported earthquake time at 7.50 am, but the telegraph station showed 7.57 am. Books fell from the NW cabinet of the Foskolos Library [in the city]. In the sea inundation of 0.40 m [happened]. The sea returned to its normal place between 10 am and 15 pm. The above description implies that the strong ground shaking caused limited damage in the city and in the villages of Zakynthos Island, as well as rock falls, various hydrological changes and, very likely, a small local tsunami. (reference #13931)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 856, Korinthos,patrai (Patras), Greece
- July 7, 551, Schisma, Boetia, Greece
- June 426 BC, Euboea, Greece
- September 30, 1636, Cephalonia, Greece
- August 12, 1953, Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia), Greece
- December 29, 1820, Zakinthos (Zante), Greece
- August 27, 1886, Triphylie (Peleponese), Philiatra, Greece
- July 11, 1767, Kefalonia, Greece
- February 4, 1867, Cephalonia, Greece
- August 23, 1817, Aeghion, Achaia, Greece
- February 25, 1742, Zakynthos, Greece
- August 1, 1870, Itea Delphi (Phokis), Greece
- September 30, 1870, Greece
- May 13, 1895, Margarition-Filiates (Thesprotia), Greece
- March 23, 1783, Lefkada, Greece
More
Significant earthquakes of 1898The 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 7783.