62 Earthquake: Crete, Greece

62-64 A.D. Crete. An earthquake felt in Crete was associated with an abnormal fluctuation of sea level. Apollonius, an eyewitness to the event, relates that, about midday, an earthquake shook the whole island and that at Leben, on the south coast of the island, south of Gortyna, the sea receded about 7 stadia (1.3km). He adds that travelers arriving from Cydoniatis (modern Chania) in the western part of the island reported that at the same time an island rose out of the sea between Thera and Crete.

The date of the event is not given, but Apollonius was in Sparta until the end of the winter of AD 61 and in the spring of the following year, AD 62, he proceeded to Crete. Although it is not known how long he stayed on the island, he arrived in Rome early in AD 64 or possibly, at the latest, in AD 66. There is no literary evidence that the shock caused any damage on the island; had it been serious, it would have been mentioned by Apollonius.

Archaeological evidence suggests some destruction at Gortya but this is dated vaguely to the period of Nero or Flavius (Di Vita 1986).

With few exceptions modern writers assign this event to AD 46 and associate it with the eruption of the volcano of Thera, for which there is no evidence.

(above from reference #9116)

62 A.D. South coasts of Crete. Lebena. Tsunami intensity iii. Earthquake 35.5 N, 25.5 E, intensity IX. (reference #20)