Seismic History May Repeat Off Lebanon Coast
Friday, August 10, 2007
Keywords: geophysics, tsunami, earthquake, Phoenicia, eastern Mediterranean
Summary: An international team of geophysicists has identified a previously unknown fault off the Lebanon coast, probably the cause of an earthquake and tsunami in 551 CE, devastating the Phoenicians. They also believe that this fault slips every 1500 years, suggesting that another catastrophic earthquake is due any time. The historical accounts report that entire cities "drowned," a cataclysm that could repeat itself soon.
Excerpt from Discovery Channel:
Huge Quake Lurks Off Lebanese Coast
By Rossella Lorenzi
The source of one of history's most catastrophic events, the tsunami-generating 551 A.D. Beirut-Tripoli earthquake, lies dangerously just four miles off Lebanon's coast, according to a new underwater survey by an international team of geophysicists.
Responsible for the build-up of the Mount Lebanon range that towers around 10,000 feet above sea level, the previously unknown submarine fault moves roughly every 1,500 years. That suggests a disaster similar to the earthquake and tsunami that on July 9, 551, destroyed most of the coastal cities of Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon), could be due any day.
Historical accounts indicate that the ancient event was a true cataclysm, with the sea retreating up to 10,000 feet. Tripoli was reported to have "drowned," while Beirut took almost 1,300 years to recover.
"It was arguably one of the most devastating historical submarine earthquakes in the eastern Mediterranean," Ata Elias of the National Center for Geophysical Research in Beirut, Lebanon, and colleagues write in the current issue of the journal Geology.
To trace the origin of the disaster, Elias and colleagues used high-resolution sonar to map the contours of the sea floor between the Lebanese coastal towns of Enfeh and Damour. . .
To read the rest of the article, please visit the Discovery website:
Blog Author: Ellery Frahm