Despite the commonly held belief that tsunamis do not exist in the Atlantic, they do and the south of Portugal (Algarve) is the area most at risk. Although most fault lines in the Atlantic Ocean are too deep to cause a tsunami (tsunami formation requires comparatively shallow offshore water), there is a fault line just south of Portugal called the “Gorringe Bank” which has created large, deadly tsunamis at least twice before, on the 26th January 1531 and 1st November 1755. Yes, based on the time difference between these two tsunamis, Portugal is overdue its next one. In fact the Portuguese authorities take the risk so seriously they are now installing seafloor pressure gauges there in the hope of getting some advance warning.
The last Portuguese tsunami of 1755 is actually better known as the Lisbon Earthquake, which destroyed large sections of the city (as were many of the buildings in the Algarve). But what is less well known is the resulting tsunami which hit Lisbon Harbour and the Algarve 20 minutes after the quake.It is not just submarine earthquakes which threaten coastal areas of Portugal and Spain with tsunamis. There is a pronounced risk of a massive landslide occurring on the island of La Palma (the Canary Islands) which could send waves out as high as 100 meters high. OK, these particularly massive waves would afflict the Canaries and African Coast, but the Algarve would also get some pretty big surf that day (see:
Atlantic Canary Tsunami Threat). The fact is, if you like the Portuguese / Spanish beach life and want a watertight property investment, you are probably better off looking for a villa which overlooks a “Praia Fluvial” (river beach) inland a little!
Despite the commonly held belief that tsunamis do not exist in the Atlantic, they do and the south of Portugal (Algarve) is the area most at risk. Although most fault lines in the Atlantic Ocean are too deep to cause a tsunami (tsunami formation requires comparatively shallow offshore water), there is a fault line just south of Portugal called the “Gorringe Bank” which has created large, deadly tsunamis at least twice before, on the 26th January 1531 and 1st November 1755. Yes, based on the time difference between these two tsunamis, Portugal is overdue its next one. In fact the Portuguese authorities take the risk so seriously they are now installing seafloor pressure gauges there in the hope of getting some advance warning.
The last Portuguese tsunami of 1755 is actually better known as the Lisbon Earthquake, which destroyed large sections of the city (as were many of the buildings in the Algarve). But what is less well known is the resulting tsunami which hit Lisbon Harbour and the Algarve 20 minutes after the quake.It is not just submarine earthquakes which threaten coastal areas of Portugal and Spain with tsunamis. There is a pronounced risk of a massive landslide occurring on the island of La Palma (the Canary Islands) which could send waves out as high as 100 meters high. OK, these particularly massive waves would afflict the Canaries and African Coast, but the Algarve would also get some pretty big surf that day (see: Atlantic Canary Tsunami Threat). The fact is, if you like the Portuguese / Spanish beach life and want a watertight property investment, you are probably better off looking for a villa which overlooks a “Praia Fluvial” (river beach) inland a little!
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