March 24, 2002 Tsunami: Dodecanese Islands, Greece
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Dodecanese Islands, Greece on March 24, 2002. The water rose as high as 4 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
- March 24, 2002
- Source
- Dodecanese Islands, Greece
- Cause
- Unknown
- Maximum water height
- 4 m (13.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 36.450° N, 28.200° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
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.
Sea-waves 3-4m high were reported along the coastal zone of the city of Rhodes, during the evening of 24 March 2002 (local press reports, 25 March 2002). Unfortunately, the tidegauge of the Rhodes port authority was not in operation at that time and, therefore, the waves were not instrumentally recorded.
As for the origin of the tsunami it is worth noting that no earthquake was recorded before or after its occurrence in the broad region of Rhodes, which may exclude seismicity as a possible triggering agent of the waves. In addition, according to the National Meteorological Survey of Greece the wind intensity did not exceed degree 6 in Beaufort scale, which may exclude the case of a storm surge. One possible explanation is that aseismic submarine slides may have caused the waves. This is in accordance with that local fishermen reported to the author that the days after the event they realized a significant increase of the sea depth at about 1 km offshore of the coast where the waves were observed.
(all above from reference #2840)
In terms of the tsunami cause, it is worth noting that no earthquakes were recorded in the general area of Rhodes before or after it struck, ruling out seismicity as a possible cause of the waves. Furthermore, according to the Greek National Meteorological Survey, the wind intensity did not exceed degree 6 on the Beaufort scale, ruling out the possibility of a storm surge. The waves could have been caused by aseismic submarine slides, for example. This is in line with what local fishermen told the author a few days after the event, when they noticed a significant increase in sea depth about 1 km offshore where the waves were observed. (reference #13873)
Reference #11164 lists “gravitational marine slide” as the cause of 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.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhodes, Island of Rhodes | Greece | 1 | 4 | Water height, post-tsunami survey |
More
Every tsunami in 2002The 2000sTsunamis 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 5717.