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Story: Tsunamis

Evidence of a past tsunami

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Evidence of a past tsunami

Tsunami scientists Marco Cisternas (left) and James Goff stand beside a buried layer of gravel and sand (marked) at Okourewa Stream, Palliser Bay. This is interpreted as a deposit from a past tsunami. The layer of angular pebbles and overlying sand is thought to be deposited by an advancing tsunami wave. It is overlain by younger river silt and sand.

Radiocarbon dating indicates that the tsunami layer was formed after 1350 CE, but the exact age cannot be determined.

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by Bruce McFadgen

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How to cite this page

Willem de Lange and Eileen McSaveney, Tsunamis – New Zealand’s tsunami history, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/6214/evidence-of-a-past-tsunami (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Willem de Lange and Eileen McSaveney, published 2 March 2009.