Sedimentary record of the 1755 Lisbon tsunami in an urban area. (Municipality of conil de La Frontera, south of the Iberian Peninsula)
摘要
On November 1, 1755, Europe witnessed one of the most devastating natural disasters: a violent earthquake triggered a tsunami that affected large areas of the Atlantic coast. This study analyses the deposits associated with the 1755 tsunami in Conil de la Frontera, combining sedimentary, historical, and taphonomic evidence. The results show that the grain size and the presence of bioclasts confirm a marine and highly energetic origin of the sediments. Historical documents indicate that the first wave reached 8–10 m in height. Furthermore, the analysis of fossil remains found in the area, whose ages were established by stratigraphic correlation, suggests that they correspond to the Lisbon seismic event.