Study Suggests Stone Age Mega Tsunami Devastated Mesolithic Populations

Study Suggests Stone Age , Mega Tsunami , Devastated Mesolithic Populations.
'Newsweek' reports that a massive tsunami that
occurred over 8,000 years ago may have
devastated coastal communities in the Stone Age.
According to a recent study, the event known as
the Storegga tsunami left traces of sediment
deposits in areas from Norway to eastern Greenland.
Between 8,120 and 8,175 years ago, a submarine
landslide off the coast of Norway generated waves
up to 40 feet high along the entire Norwegian coast.
In what is now mainland Britain, waves were between
ten and twenty feet, while in the Shetland Islands,
waves could have reached over 65 feet in height.
Evidence suggests that the Storegga event
coincided with a massive population decline
in coastal populations of nomadic, hunter
gatherers during the Mesolithic period.
'Newsweek' reports that there has been an overall
lack of research quantifying the impact of the
tsunami on Mesolithic communities in the region.
The study, published in the 'Journal of Quaternary
Science,' attempted to assess the potential impact of
the catastrophic event on populations alive at the time.
This is one of the first attempts
to directly link the Storegga tsunami
to its effects on Mesolithic people, Patrick Sharrocks, Author of the study affiliated
with the University of York and University
of Leeds in England, via Newsweek.
The mortality estimations for the
intertidal zone were higher than we
expected with the implication that
the impacts on Mesolithic people
could have potentially been severe, Patrick Sharrocks, Author of the study affiliated
with the University of York and University
of Leeds in England, via Newsweek.
The team of researchers say their findings could
be used to help us better understand the
potential future impact of mega tsunamis