June 20, 1978 Tsunami: Thessaloniki (Salonica), Greece
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake began at Thessaloniki (Salonica), Greece on June 20, 1978 at 20:03:21 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.45 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 places in at least 3 countries. It killed 50 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
- June 20, 1978, 20:03:21 UTC
- Source
- Thessaloniki (Salonica), Greece
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.4, 3 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.45 m (1.5 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 40.739° N, 23.229° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 50 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- Many (about 101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $250 million 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.
June 20, 1978, Salonica, Strymonic Gulf, 40.75 N, 23.26 E, magnitude 6.5, tsunami intensity ii. Most probably a strong seiche. (reference #20)
June 20, 1978. Salonica, Strymonic Gulf. Most probably a
strong seiche. 40.75 N, 23,26 E, Magnitude =6.5 depth = 16, tsunami intensity ii. (reference #29)
June 20, 1978, 20:03:21 UTC, 40.8 N,23.2 E, magnitude 6.5, Kavala (H=0.4), Iraklio (H=0.2), Adriatic Sea, Bar (H=0.3), Dubrovnik (H=0.4), Split (H=0.45). (reference #331)
June 20 1978, 20:03:21 UTC, 40deg37min N, 23deg16minE, magnitude 6.5, earthquake intensity VIII, water height = 0.45 m. (reference #2427)
June 20, 1978, 20:03:21 UTC, 40.7 N, 23.3 E, depth 6 km, magnitude 6.5, earthquake intensity VIII. Sieberg-Ambraseys tsunami intensity 2. Anomalous disturbance (40 cm) seen in Kavala. Disturbance seen also in Iraklio (Crete). (reference #4139)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kavala | Greece | 102 | 0.4 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Bar | Montenegro | 376 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Dubrovnik | Croatia | 476 | 0.4 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Iraklio, Crete | Greece | 623 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Split | Croatia | 640 | 0.45 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1978The 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 2107.