Tsunamis in the geological record: Making waves with a cautionary tale from the Mediterranean

Abstract

Climate pacing of “tsunami” deposits in the Mediterranean’s geological record challenges ~90% of the original interpretations.

Monitoring the sedimentary budget and dislocated boulders in western Greece – results since 2008

“…However, Marriner et al . (), using statistical analysis, suggested that repeated cycles of strong storms could be an alternative cause for boulder movement. Likewise, winter storms in this region may also have considerable impact on the coastal configuration, as reported for the Italian coasts of the Ionian Sea (Mastronuzzi & Sansò, ; Barbano et al ., ).…”

“…In fact, numerous historical accounts (Soloviev et al, 2000), as well as detailed sedimentary studies indicate repeated tsunami landfall in western Greece (Scheffers et al, 2008;V€ ott et al, 2010;May et al, 2012). However, Marriner et al (2017), using statistical analysis, suggested that repeated cycles of strong storms could be an alternative cause for boulder movement. Likewise, winter storms in this region may also have considerable impact on the coastal configuration, as reported for the Italian coasts of the Ionian Sea (Mastronuzzi & Sans o, 2004;Barbano et al, 2010).…”

Establishing a high‐resolution stratigraphy in the Holocene marine sequence of the ancient Theodosian harbor of Istanbul with the help of dendrochronology

“…Holes of some removed posts from the docks are also filled in with this chaotic unit (Figure b). All these give the impression that Unit 5 was formed by a sudden but very high‐energy process, such as a tsunami or a very strong storm or flood, typical of the type of event deposit described by Marriner et al (). Sezerer‐Bulut, Yalçın, and Algan () summarized discussions on the origin of this event deposit and came to the conclusion that further studies are required to differentiate between these possible causes.…”

“…Sezerer‐Bulut, Yalçın, and Algan () summarized discussions on the origin of this event deposit and came to the conclusion that further studies are required to differentiate between these possible causes. The problematic nature of such deposits is also emphasized by Marriner et al () as “These wide‐ranging examples underscore the challenges of interpreting the stratigraphic record of high‐energy coastal events and demonstrate that careful and detailed multiproxy analyses are important to effectively differentiate between geological archives of storms and tsunamis.” ; Unit 6 contains dominantly light colored, well‐sorted sands and silty clayey bands. It includes shells, both scattered and as discrete layers.…”

“…Their rectangular flat shapes and large sizes suggest that they were originally brought to their present location from a nearby area by Neolithic humans for different purposes such as constructing palisades and reinforcing shelters, built in the wattle and daub technique, rather than transported naturally by waves, currents, and riverine input (Algan et al, 2011). All these give the impression that Unit 5 was formed by a sudden but very high-energy process, such as a tsunami or a very strong storm or flood, typical of the type of event deposit described by Marriner et al (2017). Sezerer-Bulut, Yalçın, and Algan (2019) summarized discussions on the origin of this event deposit and came to the conclusion that further studies are required to differentiate between these possible causes.…”