April 27, 1928 Tsunami: Aegean Sea, Greece
A tsunami probably caused by an earthquake began at Aegean Sea, Greece on April 27, 1928. The water rose as high as 0.6 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- April 27, 1928
- Source
- Aegean Sea, Greece
- Cause
- Questionable earthquake
- Maximum water height
- 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1928, April 27. Aegean Sea. Island of Syros. Oscillations of the sea level similar to the April 25 oscillations occurred about midnight. The rise of the water reached
0.6 m. Seismic stations did not record any appreciable earthquake near the eastern shore of Greece on that day. The existence of a general correlation between the series of tsunami on April 22 - 27 and the simultaneous seismic cycle near the eastern shore of Greece (the magnitude of its main earthquake was of M = 6.2 and the magnitudes of the strongest aftershocks on April 24,25 and 29 were of M=5-5.25) is beyond any doubt. However the causes leading to the generation of each specific tsunami have not been understood. We can only suggest that not only the seismotectonic movements of the sea-bottom contributed considerably to the generation of tsunami, but also the landslides of loose bottom sediments moved by the earthquakes. Other mechanisms may also have contributed. (reference #2130)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syros | Greece | 0.6 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1928The 1900sTsunamis of GreeceThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 3656.