A major earthquake that occurred 38-hundred years in the past off the coastline of what would become Chile has been discovered by a multinational team of experts. Tsunami-related evidence was identified, and it had an effect on those who were living in that region.
A devastating earthquake struck southern Chile in 1966. The largest earthquake ever recorded was measured by seismographs with a magnitude of 9.5. Experts have discovered evidence of a powerful earthquake that struck the same region 3,800 years ago, triggering a large tsunami that devastated the early hunter-gatherers dwelling along the shore.
Searching through strata of earth throughout the Atacama Desert to find material left over from the tsunami was the task of the scientists. Carbon analysis of seashells and carbon particles in the silt indicated that it had been there for 3,800 years. That tsunami was so massive that it left a path of detritus over a thousand miles long and possibly raised sea levels by 15 to 20 meters.
Proof of population movements after the tsunami was also identified by the researchers, who determined that individuals relocated inwards as well as to higher elevations. There was also evidence that individuals had relocated their burial sites. Almost a thousand years later, the scientists discovered that the inhabitants hadn’t returned to the coast, but even then, they were reluctant to go too near to the ocean.
Scientists add that they had not uncovered proof of how a population who did not possess a writing system could have retained their memories of the tsunami for so long. Their findings might also help with current safety strategies for the local population, they said.
The findings were published in the journal Science Advances.
