The Kashmir earthquake in 2005 and the Haitian earthquake in 2010 left an impression worldwide due to their devastating effects. However, both incidents paled in comparison to the largest earthquake in history that hit northern Chile 3,800 years ago.
The researchers from the University of Southampton said they found marine sediments in the Atacama Desert, stone buildings along the coast that the waves had destroyed, and huge boulders on Chatham Island that dates back to the same time, MailOnline reported. Findings suggest that the earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that reached more than 5,000 miles to New Zealand.
9.5 Magnitude Earthquake in Chile 3,800 Years Ago Triggered Enormous Tsunami That Traveled Over 5,000 Miles to New Zealand
Largest Earthquake in History
Professor James Goff, a co-author of the study from the University of Southampton, said that scientists thought it was impossible for an event of that size to happen in northern Chile because there has to be a long enough rupture for that to happen.
Earthquakes happen when tectonic plates rub against each other and cause rupture. The longer the rupture, the stronger the earthquake and the largest earthquake in history hit northern Chile 3,800 years ago. The team believes it caused an enormous tsunami that traveled thousands of miles across the other side of the planet because of the evidence they found on the coast of the Atacama Desert.
Prior to the recent discovery, the largest known history reported was the one in 1960 which also happened in Chile. The incident dubbed the "Great Chilean earthquake" was estimated to be around 9.5 magnitude.
Evidence of the Huge Tsunami 3,800 Years Ago
Researchers noted that despite being an arid place, they found marine sediments and creatures that would have inhabited the sea thousands of years ago before being thrown inland. Excavations of archeological sites, like Pabellón de Pica, also revealed destroyed stone buildings from the waves and walls that toppled towards the seas, likely due to the strong sea currents.
Goff said that the event would have devastated the hunter-gatherer communities in the Atacama Desert at the time and evidence suggests that the local population was left with nothing.
Lastly, Goff also found large boulders on Chatham Island in New Zealand. No one knows how they got there at the same time as the earthquake hit Chile. According to Unilad, the team put two and two together and concluded that those boulders might have been moved by a tsunami from northern Chile via a 9.5 magnitude earthquake.
Scientists hope that the findings of their study, titled "Did a 3800-Year-Old MW ~9.5 Earthquake Trigger Major Social Disruption in the Atacama Desert?" published in Science Advances, could be used in understanding more about natural disasters in the Pacific region.
They also noted that these sites are well-populated now and suppose such an event happens again, it would be catastrophic unless people learn from these findings.
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