Atlantic tsunami of 1858
On June 5, 1858, a tsunami occurred that spread to the North Sea . It was scientifically examined and described by Jürgen Newig and Dieter Kelletat in 2011. The work was picked up in the press in 2012, see e.g. B. Focus and Berliner Morgenpost .
Historical reports of this tsunami are available from Germany ( Sylt , Wangerooge and Helgoland ), France , England , the Netherlands and Denmark . The tsunami hit most of the coasts with three wave crests, the highest wave being observed in Denmark. This reached a height of 6 m near Årgab. Historical reports often speak of unexpected strong winds that occurred at the same time as the tsunami, even though the summer weather was calm beforehand.
Newig and Kelletat suspect the cause was a slope slide, which could have occurred southwest in the Atlantic . The presumed origin was not far from the Spanish coast, similar to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake . On the one hand, the tsunami could have reached the North Sea through the English Channel and, on the other hand, it could have passed Scotland from the north. Before Denmark, the two parts of the tsunami would have collided again and would have created the high waves observed. So far, however, there is no information about such an event from Scotland and Spain, where the tsunami should have been noticed. Therefore, it could have been a meteotsunami , as the French institute Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières (BRGM) assumes.
Individual evidence
- ^ Jürgen Newig , Dieter Kelletat : The North Sea Tsunami of June 5, 1858 , Journal of Coastal Research; 27 (5): 931-941. 2011.
- ↑ Focus from April 6, 2012 Tsunami danger on the North Sea is underestimated
- ↑ Berliner Morgenpost of April 6, 2012 Tsunami on the North Sea is a serious danger
- ↑ Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières : Tsunamis observés en France, Identité: 620002, Date: 5 June 1858