February 19, 1968 Tsunami: Lemnos Island, North Aegean Sea, Greece
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake began at Lemnos Island, North Aegean Sea, Greece on February 19, 1968 at 22:45:45 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places. It killed 22 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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
- February 19, 1968, 22:45:45 UTC
- Source
- Lemnos Island, North Aegean Sea, Greece
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.2, 15 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1.2 m (3.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 3
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 0.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 39.368° N, 24.957° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 22 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 18 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $600,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 500 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 1,951 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1968, February 19. Earthquake in the island of Lemnos. Earth slumping in the island of Agios Eustratios in the epicentral zone. At the western coasts of the island of St. Eustratios a small tsunami set up observed in the southwestern side of Lemnos island. In the harbor of Myrina the tsunami built up to 1.20 m height. In the low regions of Moudros and Kaspakas sea water entered respectively 20 m and 4 m inland. (reference #4139)
1968, February 19. Island St. Eustratios, Lemnos, Lesovos, Euboea. 39.5 N, 23.8 E, magnitude 6.7, intensity IX. (reference #20)
1968 February 19. Islands St. Eustratios, Lemnos (m=ii), Lesvos, Euboea. 39.5 N, 24.8 E, I=IX, M=6.7, depth normal). Island St. Eustratios, earth slumping in the region of St. Nicolas. At the western coast of the island St. Eustratios a small tsunami set up observed in the southwestern side of Lemnos island. In the harbour of Myrina the tsunami built up to 1.20 m height. In the low region of Moudros and Kaspakas sea waters entered 20 m and 4 m inland respectively. (reference #29)
1968, February 19, 22:45:42 UTC. 39.4 N, 24.9 E, magnitude 7.1. Northern Aegean Sea, Lemnos (M = 2, H = 1.2), Agios Eustratios. (reference #330)
1968, February 19. Aegean Sea, Islands of Euboea and Limnos. An earthquake occurred. A landslide took place within the region of Ay. Nikolaos on the Island of Ay. Efstratios. A small tsunami originated on the western shore of the island and was also observed at the south - western side of the Island of Limnos. The height of the tsunami wave in the Harbour of Mirina amounted to 1.2 m. The water in the low - lying regions of Moudros and Kaspakas advanced deep onto dry land for 20 m and 4 m respectively. (reference #2130)
1968, February 19, 22:45:42 UTC. A small tsunami originated on the western and southern shore of the Island of Lemnos (reference #9275)
Here, we reproduce the relevant description from the original source of information: “Earth slumping in the region of St Nicolas, at the western coast of the island of St [Ayios] Efstratios set up a small tsunami observed in the southwestern side of Lemnos Isl. [Figure 3]. In the harbor of Myrina town [Lemnos] the tsunami built up to 1.20 m height. (reference #13999)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myrina, Lemnos Island | Greece | 57 | 1.2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Moudros, Lemnos Island | Greece | 62 | 20 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Kaspakas, Lemnos Island | Greece | 62 | 4 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1968The 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 1997.