A team of Israeli and American marine archaeologists discovered on Israel’s northern coast, just outside the ancient city of Tel Dor, the traces of what could have been a gigantic tsunami, which occurred about 10 millennia ago. The natural disaster could have devastated several settlements in the area.
During the study, researchers drilled several holes on the coast and examined the seabed to determine the causes and extent of the tsunami. In addition, they created a digital model of the terrain and concluded that the natural disaster would have occurred between 9,910 and 9,290 years ago, in the early Holocene epoch.
Scientists also found a layer of sand and seashells in dry Neolithic terrain, which also serves as proof that it was a large-scale tsunami. It could have formed waves between 16 and 40 meters high and destroyed everything in its path at an impressive distance of up to 3.5 kilometers from the coastline, a route considerably greater than 300 meters from the other tsunamis documented in the area.
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Another indication pointing to the likely historical moment when the tsunami took place is the almost absolute absence of archaeological sites in the places that were densely populated before the pre-ceramic Neolithic (between 11,700 and 9,800 years ago). At the same time, the presence of archaeological sites dated between 9,250 and 7,800 years ago indicates that the area has been repopulated after the natural disaster.
The researchers also reported that the megatsunami was generated by a very powerful earthquake that, in turn, caused an underwater movement. The probable origin of the gigantic wave was located about 10 miles west of the coastline.
The full study has been published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE. If you’re interested in geology, here you can see what’s behind the mysterious killer waves. And artifact, found in Israel, could belong to the time of Jesus Christ.