# Question regarding the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and the distortion of Spain's coastline **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2019, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1755-lisbon-earthquake-and-the-distortion-of-spains-coastline/836660 "2019-07-07T07:56:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1755-lisbon-earthquake-and-the-distortion-of-spains-coastline/836660/1 "2019-07-07T07:56:16Z")
Hi Other than a few general references online, I have been unable to find anything scientific on how the 1755 Lisbon earthquake distorted Spain’s coastline, particularly where the Wharf of the three Caravels is now situated. I believe it is several hundred meters inland from the original site. The Wharf of the three Caravels is not the original site where Columbus launched his three ships, but I cannot find any scientific analysis of how far inland the Wharf of the three Caravels is from Columbus’s original launch site. Indeed, has the original site ever been found? I hope someone can help me on that. I look forward to your feedback. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1755-lisbon-earthquake-and-the-distortion-of-spains-coastline/836660/2 "2019-07-07T11:36:28Z")
Two minutes and _Muelle de las Carabelas_ told me that “wharf” is a museum built in 1994 and housing three reproduction caravels used as part of the 1992 celebrations. Back in 1492 that thing wasn’t in another place, it was 5 centuries in the future. Take into account that even though in English it’s for some reason called the “Lisbon earthquake”, its epicenter was actually over 200 miles out to sea: what was heavily destructive was the asociated tsunami, but that didn’t change the coastline much except where it removed or deposited large amounts of sand. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1755-lisbon-earthquake-and-the-distortion-of-spains-coastline/836660/3 "2019-07-07T12:23:11Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Two minutes and _Muelle de las Carabelas_ told me that “wharf” is a museum built in 1994 and housing three reproduction caravels used as part of the 1992 celebrations. Back in 1492 that thing wasn’t in another place, it was 5 centuries in the future. > > Take into account that even though in English it’s for some reason called the “Lisbon earthquake”, its epicenter was actually over 200 miles out to sea: what was heavily destructive was the asociated tsunami, but that didn’t change the coastline much except where it removed or deposited large amounts of sand. Thanks Nava, so did the caravels launch from the spot where the replicas now stand or from some other spot in Palos de la Frontera? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1755-lisbon-earthquake-and-the-distortion-of-spains-coastline/836660/4 "2019-07-07T13:17:24Z")
From the actual harbor. The museum is in the harbor area but isn’t part of the real harbor. If you’re asking if anybody knows the specific spots where the caravels were tied down then no, it wasn’t something anybody thought of jotting down. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1755-lisbon-earthquake-and-the-distortion-of-spains-coastline/836660/5 "2019-07-07T15:36:37Z")
None of those guys were famous before they left. Some of them got famous when they got back. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1755-lisbon-earthquake-and-the-distortion-of-spains-coastline/836660/6 "2019-07-07T15:37:29Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > From the actual harbor. The museum is in the harbor area but isn’t part of the real harbor. If you’re asking if anybody knows the specific spots where the caravels were tied down then no, it wasn’t something anybody thought of jotting down. Thanks Nava. Very helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1755-lisbon-earthquake-and-the-distortion-of-spains-coastline/836660/7 "2019-07-07T22:48:51Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Take into account that even though in English it’s for some reason called the “Lisbon earthquake”, its epicenter was actually over 200 miles out to sea: what was heavily destructive was the asociated tsunami, but that didn’t change the coastline much except where it removed or deposited large amounts of sand. … > [@The Deacon's Masterpiece](#): > > Seventeen hundred and fifty-five. > Georgius Secundus was then alive, — > Snuffy old drone from the German hive. > That was the year when Lisbon-town > Saw the earth open and gulp her down, > aw the earth open and gulp her down, > And Braddock’s army was done so brown, > Left without a scalp to its crown. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1755-lisbon-earthquake-and-the-distortion-of-spains-coastline/836660/8 "2019-07-08T02:50:45Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > … Thank you Melbourne. Thank you all.