July 1, 2009 Tsunami: Crete, Greece
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake began at Crete, Greece on July 1, 2009 at 09:30:10 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places.
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
- July 1, 2009, 09:30:10 UTC
- Source
- Crete, Greece
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.4, 19 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 34.164° N, 25.471° 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.
The July 1, 2009 south of Crete earthquake was followed by a small local tsunami which reportedly inundated the south-eastern coast of Crete and the northern coast of Chrisi Islet[...]The tsunami was not recorded at tide gauges, but it was observed by many eyewitnesses given its occurrence in summer, at 12.30 pm local time, when many people were on the beach. (reference #12449)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrisi (Chrysi) Islet | Greece | 82 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Arvi, Crete | Greece | 92 | 0.3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Myrtos, Crete | Greece | 94 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 2009The 2000sTsunamis 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 5713.