Previous Tsunamis
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Even before Homo sapiens walked the earth the impact of tsunamis may have been felt on prehistoric shores. Amongst geologists there has been a commonly held belief that the extinction of the dinosaurs, and the end of the Cretaceous Period, were triggered by an asteriod colliding with the Earth. Recent fossil analysis has resulted in the suggestion that the impact resulted in the generation of a tsunami which was responsible for the Scrambling of Fossil Records. Some remain sceptical regarding the viability of this theory and it is apparently generating a Controversy in the Scientific Community. |
| Given the dramatic and sometimes mystical aura which surrrounds the tsunami it is no wonder that it man's interest in this natural geologic phenomenon predates recorded history. According to ancient Tamil-language texts, approximately 1,500 years ago, the town of Poompuhar, India was overcome by the sea and now lies under water off the coast of today's Poompuhar. On land, there is little evidence of the once thriving city, just the remains of few Hindu temples. In Peru, there are records of a dozen tsunamis as far back as the sixteenth century, several of which were very destructive, particulary that of 1746 which resulted in over 4000 deaths. |
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 The Hollow of the Deep-Sea Wave off Kanagawa , circa 1831, by Katsushika Hokusai. |
Sedimentary analysis has been used to study the earthquake which generated a tsunami in Lisbon, Spain in 1755, causing thousands of deaths. A brief summary of the Worst Earthquakes of the Past Decade, and their associated tsunamis gives us a glimpse at the devastation which they have wrought over the centuries. In 1929, a tsanami occurred along the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Effects of this were seen across the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Portugal and as far south as South Carolina. The largest tsunami wave ever recorded was August 9, 1958, in Lituya Bay, Alaska. It reached a height of 576 meters (1700 feet) above sea level. A Literary Account of this event portrays the power and magnitude witnessed by the few inhabitants of the area. Some of the other Largest Historical Tsunamis have also been recorded in this area as well as other sites bordering Pacific Rim. |
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