Tsunami deposits in Tunisia contemporaneous of the large 365 CE Crete earthquake and Mediterranean Sea catastrophic event

A catastrophic event during the late Holocene, potentially linked to the 365 CE Crete earthquake and tsunami, has been identified off Tunisia's coast. New field investigations near Sfax reveal a 20-50 cm thick chaotic sediment layer containing reworked pebbles, broken shells, organic matter, and Roman pottery, which truncates paleosol and overlays Roman settlements. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples brackets this deposit between 286 and 370 CE, correlating with historical records of site damage and abandonment in Tunisia and Libya. Offshore-onshore correlations with turbidites and tsunami wave modeling suggest a connection to the 21 July 365 tsunamigenic earthquake (Mw ~ 8) in west Crete, highlighting the need for better tsunami risk assessment in Mediterranean coastlines.

Bahrouni, N., Meghraoui, M., Bayraktar, H. B., Lorito, S., Zagrarni, M. F., Polonia, A., Bel Mabrouk, N., & Kamoun, F. (2024). Tsunami deposits in Tunisia contemporaneous of the large 365 CE Crete earthquake and Mediterranean Sea catastrophic event. Scientific Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53225-7