Polish scientists examined cores taken from the Baltic coast of this country and found numerous evidence of major floods, including traces of the tsunami of 1497 described in ancient sources.
The discovery is reported by Nauka w Polsce. The scientists took samples for laboratory research on the territory of the Baltic Mechelinskie Oki reserve. As a result, unique footprints left by numerous sea floods were discovered. The oldest of them can be up to 2000 years old.
The coring sites were determined using satellites. In particular, the researchers visited an area called Darlowo. Historical written sources report that a tsunami hit the area in 1497. The catastrophic storm is believed to have been triggered by an earthquake in Sweden.
“Some of the samples examined show traces of this event,” says co-author Dr. Karolina Leszczynska from Adam Mitskevich University. which are spread by catastrophic sea floods."
But in order to distinguish this sand and pebbles from sand and pebbles from ordinary beaches, scientists studied their mineralogical composition, as well as their shape and size. The results proved that the studied samples were washed ashore by sea disasters.
By the way, the earliest traces of major sea floods today lie at a depth of five meters from the surface of the earth. All of them are significantly removed from the sea - several tens or even several hundred meters.
"For example, we were able to find 'records' of intense storms that probably occurred 1500-2000 years ago in the area of the modern Mechelinskiye Oki nature reserve," says Dr. Leshchinskaya.
Such studies on such a scale have not yet been carried out in Europe. The results of the analysis can be used in their work not only by archaeologists, but also by investors and local authorities. They can now take into account the "lessons of the past" when planning their construction, knowing exactly where the sea floods have occurred and where the coastal infrastructure may be most vulnerable.