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In the Late Bronze Age, the island of Mochlos and the promontory of the modern fishing village were still connected. Mochlos lies in a tectonic valley or graben, flanked by mountain blocks or horsts, with one fault line lying just along the western side of the island and another lying at the eastern end of the Mochlos plain. Extension of the earth's crust is accommodated near the surface by faulting, and when this occurs, the area between the two faults drops down with respect to the areas on either side. Mochlos is sinking, sporadically, but sometimes quite sharply. Since 1952 when the elevation of a Late Hellenistic fish tank along the coast was measured by J. Leatham and S. Hood, it has sunk nearly 1 m. Since the 1st century BC when the tank was functioning, it has sunk nearly 2 m. A reverse of the 2 m. subsidence would make a connection between the island and Crete, and this land bridge would have been in place through the Bronze Age and down through the Hellenistic period. Its innundation sometime after the 1st century probably accounts for the abandonment of the site.

Fish Tanks

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Last Modified: 01-Jan-2005
Mail to: Dr. Jeffrey Soles