Ancient Sunken Island in North Sea Might Have Been Hit by Tsunami
- 10 years ago
An ancient sunken island in the North Sea of Europe known as Doggerland might have been abandoned after it was inundated by a tsunami around 82 hundred years ago. Based on analysis from a computer simulation of the natural disaster, researchers believe that a landslide off the coast of Norway caused a tsunami, which could have taken out the remaining settlements on the island.
An ancient sunken island in the North Sea of Europe known as Doggerland might have been abandoned after it was inundated by a tsunami around 82 hundred years ago.
Using computer simulations, researchers believe that a landslide off the coast of Norway caused a tsunami that could have taken out the remaining settlements on the island.
Doctor Jon Hill from Imperial College London is quoted as saying: "We were the first ever group to model the Storegga tsunami with Doggerland in place. Previous studies have used the modern bathymetry, or ocean depth."
Doggerland reportedly connected Britain to mainland Europe in the last Ice Age when sea levels were much lower, and the remains of both prehistoric animals that once lived on the island along with evidence of human remains and artifacts from the Mesolithic period have been found in the nets of fishing boats in the North Sea.
Radiocarbon dating shows that none of the Mesolithic objects are from after the tsunami, which indicates that it might have caused the inhabitants to abandon the area.
Another theory says that sea levels had risen significantly by the time the tsunami hit, leaving Doggerland a low lying island with little to no permanent residents, but fisherman might have still been using it as a temporary stopping off point.
An ancient sunken island in the North Sea of Europe known as Doggerland might have been abandoned after it was inundated by a tsunami around 82 hundred years ago.
Using computer simulations, researchers believe that a landslide off the coast of Norway caused a tsunami that could have taken out the remaining settlements on the island.
Doctor Jon Hill from Imperial College London is quoted as saying: "We were the first ever group to model the Storegga tsunami with Doggerland in place. Previous studies have used the modern bathymetry, or ocean depth."
Doggerland reportedly connected Britain to mainland Europe in the last Ice Age when sea levels were much lower, and the remains of both prehistoric animals that once lived on the island along with evidence of human remains and artifacts from the Mesolithic period have been found in the nets of fishing boats in the North Sea.
Radiocarbon dating shows that none of the Mesolithic objects are from after the tsunami, which indicates that it might have caused the inhabitants to abandon the area.
Another theory says that sea levels had risen significantly by the time the tsunami hit, leaving Doggerland a low lying island with little to no permanent residents, but fisherman might have still been using it as a temporary stopping off point.