Geological and geophysical evidence for a Holocene tsunami deposit in the eastern Mediterranean deep-sea record

Extended geological and geophysical exploration of basinal settings in different areas of the eastern Mediterranean demonstrate the existence of a Holocene mud layer several metres in thickness (up to more than 20 m) and typically showing a graded basal part. The event producing this peculiar deposit is correlated with the gigantic 'Bronze Age' or Minoan eruption of the Santorini volcano (3500 years BP), which resulted in caldera collapse and supposedly produced a strong seismic sea-wave, that is a tsunami. Order of magnitude calculations demonstrate that the wave speed was sufficient to induce erosion and liquefaction of the soft unconsolidated sediments draping the deep-sea floor. The event is recorded in over 50 deep-sea cores recovered in the last 20 years which contain the fine grained 'Homogenite' layer starting with a fining-upwards sandy base and having a thickness of more than 24 m in the Sirte Abyssal Plain area. Several depositional models related to setting and source areas and based on thickness, composition, carbonate content and sedimentary structures of the deposits have been proposed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.