AHEAD European Archive of Historical EArthquake DataEuropean Archive of Historical EArthquake Data

A unified catalogue containing 293 tsunamis generated in the European and Mediterranean seas since 6150 B.C. to current days is presented. It is the result of a systematic and detailed review of all the regional catalogues available in literature covering the study area, each of them having their own format and level of accuracy. The realization of a single catalogue covering a so wide area and involving several countries was a complex task that posed a series of challenges, being the standardization and the quality of the data the most demanding. A “reliability” value was used to rate equally the quality of the data for each event and this parameter was assigned based on the trustworthiness of the information related to the generating cause, the tsunami description accuracy and also on the availability of coeval bibliographical sources. Following these criteria we included in the catalogue events whose reliability ranges from 0 (“very improbable tsunami”) to 4 (“definite tsunami”). About 900 documentary sources, including historical documents, books, scientific reports, newspapers and previous catalogues, support the tsunami data and descriptions gathered in this catalogue. As a result, in the present paper a list of the 290 tsunamis with their main parameters is reported. The online version of the catalogue, available at http://roma2.rm.ingv.it/en/facilities/data_bases/52/catalogue_of_the_euro-mediterranean_tsunamis, provides additional information such as detailed descriptions, pictures, etc. and the complete list of bibliographical sources. Most of the included events have a high reliability value (3= “probable” and 4= “definite”) which makes the Euro-Mediterranean Tsunami Catalogue an essential tool for the implementation of tsunami hazard and risk assessment.

Earthquake coordinates, intensity (MM scale) and magnitude from GPSN (Gabinete de Protec^ao e Seguran^a Nuclear, 1991). On the 26 January 1531, between 4 and 5 a.m., a very strong shock was felt in Lisbon and along the Tagus Valley with epicentre in land. Maximum intensity at Lisbon, Benavente and Tagus valley (GPSN, 1991). A large area of the city of Lisbon completely destroyed and severe damage observed along the Tagus valley. A great number of casualties in Lisbon: about 10% (probably overestimated) of the Lisbon population died. The shock heavily destroyed Lisbon downtown and neighbouring areas, causing approximately 1000 casualties. The downtown of Lisbon and several dwellings along estuary were flooded by the river and ships in the harbour were left in dry (Miranda and Baptista, 2009).The maximum reported earthquake intensity is X (MSK) making it one of the most disastrous earthquakes in the history of Portugal. Due to the disturbance of the river waters, several boats destroyed. The sea and the water of the river Tagus came out of ordinary limits and flooded Lisbon downtown (Anonymous, 1531; Rodriguez, 1919). According to Baptista and Miranda (2009), the coeval source Resende stated that “water rose with no wind”, emphasizing the fact that the weather conditions associated with a tempest were missing. Most of the observations concerning water disturbance come from inside the estuary: Couto (1778) describes the sea agitation close to Lisbon downtown: “[. . . ] in the sea the tempest was so great that destroyed and broke all ships staying in Lisbon harbor, some say that the Tagus river opened by its middle splitting its waters into a pathway and showing the sand bed” (Baptista and Miranda, 2009). Baptista and Miranda (2009) also report the description of Osòrio that says “[. . . ] the ships, sailors said, seemed to go in the sky; and (then) against the rocks; and the river open by its middle and close again” (Osòrio, 1919). The Codex 8009 from the Portuguese National Library quotes: “[. . . ] Tagus with its violent tide fluxes and the furious agitation of the waves, rose in such a way that it submerged many ships, one claims that it opened in the middle of its waters, showing the sand of its bottom [. . . ]” (Baptista and Miranda, 2009). The description of a large tempest in the sea is often repeated: “[. . . ] several vessels were swallowed by the pits of the grown and turbulent sea [. . . ]” (Baptista and Miranda, 2009; Babinet, 1861); “Many ships submerged with the tempest". Studied by Osòrio (1919), Correa (1931), Henriques et al. (1988).