October 12, 2013 Tsunami: Crete, Greece
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake began at Crete, Greece on October 12, 2013 at 13:11:53 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.01 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
- October 12, 2013, 13:11:53 UTC
- Source
- Crete, Greece
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.6, 40 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.01 m (0.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 35.514° N, 23.252° E
The toll
- Injuries
- 1 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50) 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.
The second earthquake event, during which tsunami wave oscillations were recorded, occurred on 12 October 2013 at 13:11 UTC about 31 km west of Platanos, Greece [...] Tsunami wave oscillations are clearly evident in the sea level record, also due to the contemporary favorable weather conditions over the region. (reference #12974)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gavdos | Greece | 108 | 0.01 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2013The 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 5794.