March 20, 1389 Tsunami: Chios Island, Aegean Islands, Greece

Eq. int = IX. Refs. AM960a,AN979a,115 give epicenter 38.2,26.2. Ref. 109 gives 38.5,26.5. A destructive earthquake occurred and embraced a large area. The greater part of the fortress Chios was destroyed. The earthquake was felt in Asia Minor, in particular, in Izmir. The tsunami wave ran against the eastern half of the Island of Chios and caused great damage flooding half of the market square in the town of Chios. Strengthening of the wave was noted when it passed through the MXTOW strait between the island and Asia Minor. The wave caused destruction in Iznzir and in the small fortress of New Phocueu (Yeni Foqa) Possible tsunami. (reference #2130).

A devastating tsunami followed the shock. The wave destroyed the fortress of Chios and razed many buildings to the ground . At the time of the shock at Chios the sea rose reaching the middle of Commerce square (Anonymous, 1910). Those present fled in fright to a nearby hill (Guidoboni and Comastri, 2005). Coeval sources quoted by Guidoboni and Comastri (2005) reported: "Then the sea invaded as far as the windmill of the internal sea, and then changed direction again and from its usual limits reached the middle of the Market square." "The sea boiled and flooded as far as the middle of the square and then returned to its place". The waves caused destruction in ’Izmir and Yeni Foca (Altinok et al., 2011). Definite tsunami. (reference #11164, v.2)

1389 Mar 20. East Aegean. Definite tsunami. (reference #9275)

1389 Mar 20. Probable tsunami. East Aegean. (reference #4139)

The shock was associated with a seismic sea wave, which advanced about 300 m inland on the east coast of Chios […] At the same time the sea rose and flooded the coast, submerging the Windmill. It returned to its normal place, and then again flooded the town as far as the middle of the marketplace, causing the people to flee away to Troulloti. There were only a few casualties in Chios, however, because the people fled to high ground, perhaps having taken heed of aftershocks. With the exception of two women killed in the northern part of the city when houses fell, there is no mention of fatalities. Note that the account is concluded with the words ‘ the Lord delivered us ’, which suggests that casualties were low and that some of the description of the damage may be exaggerated. (reference #9116)

It also triggered a tsunami that hit the town of Chios [17, 18]. Following the sea’s withdrawal, the sea rose and inundated the coast. It returned to its original location, then flooded the town again, this time up to the middle of the market square (300 m inland on Chios’ eastern coast), forcing people to flee. (reference #13873)