Volumes and Issues  Contents of Issue 3  
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 9, 855-857, 2009
www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/9/855/2009/
doi:10.5194/nhess-9-855-2009
© Author(s) 2009. This work is distributed
under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.


Brief Communication: Cetaceans and tsunamis – whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?

J. R. Goff and C. Chagué-Goff
Australian Tsunami Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia

Abstract. The composition of tsunami deposits is variable and governed by source material. Many unusual items have been recorded from tsunami deposits. For example, during the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, a dolphin was reported to have been transported 1400 m inland, a shark was found in a hotel swimming pool, and sea turtles were stranded kilometers inland. Reports and papers from early settlers and explorers have often highlighted similar unusual finds. We briefly discuss an example from New Zealand where intact cetacean skeletons were found elevated on land adjacent to the coast. The validity of this find as evidence for tsunami emplacement is considered. It is also noted that such old reports should be treated with respect and re-evaluated in the light of more recent findings.

Full Article (PDF, 237 KB)   

Citation: Goff, J. R. and Chagué-Goff, C.: Brief Communication: Cetaceans and tsunamis – whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 9, 855-857, doi:10.5194/nhess-9-855-2009, 2009.   Bibtex   EndNote   Reference Manager    XML
 

Recent Papers