March 1106 Tsunami: Malamocco, Italy

According to descriptions of eyewitnesses, the town found itself almost submerged as a result of the earthquake and the floods accompanying it. In other sources, it is added that the earthquake was also felt in Venice. In the article by Feliziani and Marcelli, the intensity of the earthquake is estimated as I=VIII, the magnitude as 5.3. In the article by Guidoboni and Tinti [1989], it is noted that no Venetian source of this epoch contains information on the earthquake. Such information is found for the first time only in the 14th century in a description by the well - known historian Andrea Dandolo, which is most likely erroneous. In the opinion of the authors of the paper, the flood on the Malamocco Island was not caused by the earthquake, but by an intensive transgression of the Adriatic Sea, that occurred at the beginning of the 12th century, in combination with sea storms and high tides. The authors of the paper consider that the event should be excluded from the list of tsunami. (reference #2130).

Our analysis on the coeval sources, however, leads to the conclusion that no tsunamigenic earthquake took place in 1106 in the Venice lagoon. The 12th century Venetian sources (when Venice was still called Rivoalto) report that at the beginning of the century most of the coasts surrounding the lagoon were transforming to marshy and insalubrious areas, since the shoreline was progressively withdrawing, that the local economy was therefore rapidly declining, and that a large proportion of population was forced to migrate to safer places. The town of Malamocco was certainly the most affected in the lagoon: indeed, here more than in other places, the gradual shoreline withdrawal caused damage, repeatedly favoring the inundation of the urban center (weather storms, exceptional tides) and, moreover, a fire occurred in 1106, causing the almost total destruction of the buildings, mostly made of wood, and inducing the people to abandon the town [...] In the medieval tradition the gradual decline of the lagoon and particularly the migration from Malamocco was better explained by associating them to a great sudden natural catastrophe such as the Verona earthquake [...] nonetheless the association between the population migration and an earthquake survived, so that an ad hoc event was introduced around 1105-1 106 as the primary cause (see Dandolo in 14th century). According to the foregoing analysis, we therefore suggest that the 1106 tsunami should be deleted from the CF catalog. (reference #3102)

1106, Probably the 40th or 68th day after the 28 January. Island of Malamocco near the Italian coast; also at Venice. The island was engulphed by the sea during an earthquake. Muratori does not mention the earthquake and gives the date 1106. (reference #521)

Reference #1075 lists an earthquake 1106 March near Venice, intensity 9.

Reference #1055 lists an earthquake 1106 near Venice

Reference #1158 lists an earthquake 1106 near Venice intensity 8. Malamocco submerged

Reference #1422 states stormy sea and sea surge destroy Malamocco