Tsunamis in 1956

November 2, 1956 Tsunami: North Aegean, Greece

November 2, 1956 · 1.2 m · Questionable tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake began at North Aegean, Greece on November 2, 1956 at 16:04:36 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.2 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
November 2, 1956, 16:04:36 UTC
Source
North Aegean, Greece
Cause
Earthquake
Maximum water height
1.2 m (3.9 ft)
Runups recorded
1
Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
2
Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
0.3
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Questionable tsunami
Source location
39.267° N, 23.173° E

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.

At Volos harbour the sea rose to a height of over 1 m. The shock associated was of magnitude 5.53. (reference #109)

Tsunami at Volos. (reference #4139)

Reference #11164 (v.2) lists as improbable tsunami

Every runup

Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.

WhereCountryKm from sourceWater height, mInland, mMeasured byFirst wave, UTCDeaths
Volos Harbour, ThessalyGreece301.2Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1956The 1900sTsunamis of GreeceThe earthquakeThis 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 1864.