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Mega Tsunami
Melbourne 1500 AD Cosmogenic Mega-Tsunami in the Australia region:are they supported by Aboriginal and Maori legends?Abstract: Mega-tsunami have affected much of the coastline of Australia over the past millennium. Such catastrophic waves have left an imprint consisting predominantly of bedrock sculpturing of the rocky coastline and deposition of marine sediments to elevations reaching 130 m above sea level. One of the largest of these events occurred in eastern Australia in the fifteenth century. This event may be related to the Mahuika impact crater
found at 48.38 S, 166.48 E on the Then the sky moved . . . heaved and billowed and tumbled and tottered. The moon rocked. The stars tumbled and clattered and fell one against the other . . . The great star groups were scattered, and many of them, loosened from their holds, came flashing to the earth. They were heralded by a huge mass, red and glowing, that added to the number of falling stars by bursting with a deafening roar and scattering in a million pieces which were molten . . . Burragorang/Illawarra legend (Peck 1938, p. 202–203) He had never before seen the sea, and he did not know what it was. He believed it to be a great sky . . . and that the sky had fallen down . . . . It was that a great ancestor had left the earth and had gone up into the sky . . . . He tried to return but the hole that he had made was closed up. Yet he did not give up hope, and by beating upon it he loosened it and it fell. What Makes the Waves (Peck 1938, p. 119) The Moa disappeared after the coming of Tamaatea who set
fire to the land. The fire was not the same as our fire but embers sent
by Rongi [the sky] (Hill 1913, p. 331) These legends—the first two
Aboriginal from the coast of New South Wales south of Sydney and the
third Maori from New Zealand (Fig. 1)—describe natural events or
processes with a cosmic origin not usually invoked as being significant
in the modern geological literature. If the large object in the
Burragorang legend had struck the ocean, it would have had the potential
to generate a regionally devastating tsunami. The impact would also have
injected billions of tonnes of water into the atmosphere as superheated
vapour that would have fallen subsequently as torrential rain that would
have exceeded historical levels and produced catastrophic flooding.
Research along the east coast of Australia since 1989 (Bryant 2001;
Bryant & Nott 2001) indicates that a mega-tsunami struck and eroded the
shores of Lord Howe Island and the rocky coastline of New South Wales
over a distance of 600 km around AD 1500 (Fig. 1a). A comet impact in
the region is the most likely cause of such a large and widespread
event. The location of a possible impact has recently been discovered
(Fig. 1b, c), lying in 300 m depth of water on the The purpose of this paper is twofold: to elaborate on the rich, indigenous oral history of the region to show that a recent cosmogenic mega-tsunami possibly occurred and to use similar types of oral history in the Kimberley region of NW Australia to identify other mega-tsunami in the Australian region. Legends associated with comets and tsunamis Aboriginal legends about comets and tsunami are ubiquitous throughout Australia (Peck 1938; Parker 1978; Johnson 1998). In the interior of New South Wales, the Paakantji tribe, near Wilcannia on the Darling River (Fig. 1b), tell a story about the sky falling (Jones & Donaldson 1989). A great thunderous ball of fire descended from the sky scattering molten rock of many colors. Unprecedented floods that forced people to flee to the tops of hills to escape drowning followed within a couple of days. Even though flooding fits within a scenario for a nearby comet impact into the ocean, such a story probably is modern and has incorporated elements of an older Aboriginal Dreamtime legend of the Flood. In South Australia, another legend tells of stars falling to Earth to make the circular lagoons fringing the coast. Perhaps the most intriguing legend along the SE Coast of
Australia is the story of the eastern sky falling quoted above (Peck
1938). It has several variants (Peck 1938; Massola 1968; Willey 1979;
Johnson 1998). Aborigines in eastern Australia believed that the sky was
held up on supports at the edges of the earth, and that the eastern prop
either collapsed or was rotting. Tribes far into the interior of the
continent were requested to send tribute to the east to be given to the
spirit people in charge of holding up the sky so that it could be
repaired. Possum rugs and stone axes were sent eastwards in response.
Historians interpret the story as referring to the beginning of European
colonization from the east; however, one version, quoted above (Peck
1938), is particular to the South Coast of New South Wales and may be
describing the way tsunami affected the coast. The legend implies that
the ocean fell from the sky. Substantial evidence exists for Aboriginal
occupation of the open rocky headlands along this coast (Hughes &
Sullivan 1974). At Bombo Headland 70 km south of Sydney, tsunami
overwashed a 40 m high headland. The wave separated from the headland
and plunged back to the ocean surface 100–200 m into a bay on the lee
side. Profuse amounts of coarse sediment dropped from the airborne flow
into the bay under gravity (Fig. 2). Evidence of Additional physical and legendary evidence of major comet and tsunami impacts exists in SE Australia. In South Australia, the legend of Ngurunderi clearly alludes to tsunami (Flood 1995, p. 140–141). Ngurunderi was a great Ancestral figure of the southern tribes in South Australia, who established Tribal Laws. Long ago, Ngurunderi’s two wives ran away from him, and he was forced to follow them. He pursued them. . . and went along the beach to Cape Jervis. When he arrived there, he saw his wives wading half-way across the shallow channel which divided Nar-oong-owie from the mainland. He was determined to punish his wives, and angrily ordered the water to rise up and drown them. With a terrific rush, the waters roared and the women were carried back towards the mainland. Although they tried frantically to swim against the tidal wave, they were powerless to do so and were drowned. Their bodies turned to stone and are seen as two rocks off the coast of Cape Jervis, called the Pages or the Two Sisters. Nar-oong-owie refers to Kangaroo Island, South Australia
(Fig. 1b). The history of Aboriginal occupation of Kangaroo Island
remains enigmatic. The island shows extensive evidence of Aboriginal
occupancy; but, when the first European, Matthew Flinders, landed on the
island in 1802, it was unoccupied. Mainland Aborigines call Kangaroo
Island, Kanga—the Island of the Dead. The coastline also evinces
signatures of cosmogenic tsunami. Most significant are enormous
whirlpools (features that have been linked to catastrophic flow under
tsunami (Bryant 2001)) on the northern coast of the island, where the
Aboriginal legend is set. In addition, there are vortex-carved caves and
massive piles of imbricated boulders, some over four metres in diameter,
near promontories. Other tsunami and comet legends that could relate to
the Mahuika Comet occur along the eastern coast of Australia. On the
north coast of New South Wales, Aborigines speak of ‘the moon setting in
the east’ and of flooding of rivers such as the Namoi from the ocean on
a clear day. A spear from the sky fell into the sea followed by a great
flood that changed the coastline (Cahir 2002). Maori Ancient Destruction legendsOn the South Island of New Zealand, the Mahuika Comet impact would have been a dramatic event. Within 50 km of the southern coastline, it would have appeared as a fireball ten times larger than the sun, blown over 90% of the tree cover, and ignited grass and trees (Marcus et al. 2005). However, these effects would have ceased within 100 km of the coast. Steel & Snow (1992) believe that local Maori legends and place names refer to a comet event such as this one. They base their hypothesis on the legend of the Fires ofTamaatea (or Tamatea). Local ethnographic evidence is best chronicled in the Southland and Otago regions, centred on the town of Tapanui (Fig. 1b). Here there appears to be evidence for an airburst that flattened trees in a manner similar to the Tunguska event. The remains of fallen trees are aligned radially away from the point of explosion out to a distance of 40–80 km. Local Maori legends in the area tell about the falling of the skies, raging winds, and mysterious and massive firestorms from space. Tapanui, itself, translates as ‘the big explosion,’ while Waipahi means ‘the place of the exploding fire’. Place names such as Waitepeka, Kaka Point, and Oweka contain the southern Maori word ka, which means fire. The local Maori also attribute the demise of the Moas, as well as their culture, to an extraterrestrial event. The extinction of the Moa is remembered as Manu Whakatau, ‘the bird felled by strange fire’. These interpretations have been criticized by Goff et al. (2003). Specifically, they state that the local place names referring to a cosmogenic fire event requires ‘an in-depth knowledge of the culture and traditions of the Maori people’ and interpretation requires the use of ‘many references with cross-referencing between them . . . as opposed to citing an individual reference’ (Goff et al. 2003). We have since gone back to an original source, The Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary compiled by Tregear (1891). The dictionary is based on over 160 references and traces Maori terms back to their Polynesian sources. It supports some of the interpretations made by Steel and Snow (1992). The dictionary refers to Tamatea as a very ancient person. He was the fifth in descent from Rangi, the Sky. The Fire of Tamatea refers to an older legend related to some volcanic catastrophe or conflagration before the Maori came to New Zealand. Tapanui, which is at the centre of Steel and Snow’s (1992) cosmic firestorm, lies at the edge of the destructive effects of the Mahuika impact. Masse & Masse (2006) describes legends in South America referring to wildfires caused by cosmic airburst events. He also notes that although the fires had a cosmogenic source, few legends mention this fact. Masse (1995) also points out that some Polynesian place names and the names for legendary heroes or supernatural beings can be broken down into their literal components. In this sense, the place nameTapanui (great or large tapa) may relate to the meaning of tapa, which in the 1891 Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary translates as ‘to split’or ‘to pulverize soil’ (Tregear 1891). Similarly, the word ka appears in this dictionary as meaning ‘to burn, to be lighted, to take fire’, while kaka means ‘red-hot’ (Tregear 1891). Nowhere in Maori or Polynesian sources does it mean ‘fever’ as stated by Goff et al. (2003). Possible age of the recent cosmogenic tsunami event. It is possible to constrain the age of a regional
cosmogenic mega-tsunami event and with it many associated Aboriginal and
Maori legends using four separate lines of evidence. First, it is
possible to surmise the most likely time of meteorite and comet impacts
over the last two thousand years using a combination of Chinese,
Japanese, and European records of meteor, comet, and fireball sightings.
Figure 3 plots the accumulated record, up to the beginning of the
nineteenth century, when scientific observations began in earnest. The
meteorite records for China and Japan are based upon Hasegawa (1992),
while meteorite records for Europe come from Rasmussen (1991). The Asian
meteorite records are the most complete with European sightings
accounting for less than ten percent of the record over the last one
thousand years. The comet record from Asia is based upon Hasegawa
(1992). A quasi-cyclic pattern is evident in the comet sighting records
that can be linked to the dominance of the Taurid complex in the inner
solar system. This complex formed from the breakdown of a The preference for a major impact during this period is also supported by a radiocarbon date from Stewart Island, New Zealand—the closest large landmass to the Mahuika impact site (Fig. 1c). The southern coast of this island shows massive erosion characteristic of mega-tsunami in the form of ramps, knife-like sluices and flutes cut into granite and orientated towards the impact site (Fig. 4). All of these types of landforms have been linked to mega-tsunami (Bryant & Young 1996; Bryant 2001). An age obtained from pipi (Paphies australis) located about 500 m inland and 30 m above sea level at Mason Bay on the west coast of Stewart Island yielded a corrected age of AD 1301 +36. Third, circumstantial evidence exists for a major
environmental event that Cosmogenic tsunami in the Kimberley - Legends and geomorphic evidenceSome of the more intriguing legends about comets and
tsunami come from the Kimberley (Fig. 1a, d). The NW coast of Australia
shows some of the largest evidence collected to date of cosmogenic
mega-tsunami (Bryant & Nott 2001; Nott & Bryant 2003). The direction of
approach of this wave to the coast lies between 2358 and 2708. However,
evidence of this event has never been undertaken in the Kimberley, north
of Cape Leveque, which is characterized by a rugged and indented
coastline. There are five lines of evidence for cosmogenic tsunami in
this region. First is the Aboriginal naming of landforms, the most
significant of which is Comet Rock at Kalumburu (Fig. 5). Not only does Second are specific legends about tsunami, the most notable of which occurs around Walcott Inlet (Fig. 1d). Here legends recount a very fast flooding from the ocean that filled this inland tidal body for up to 12 hours (Mowaljarlai & Malnic 1993). Other myths imply that water flooded to the top of 500 m high mesas surrounding this inlet. The flooding was extensive from Walcott Inlet in the south, to Kalumburu in the north, and to Kununurra in the east (Fig. 1d). Third are the Wandjina rock art paintings and their
associated interpretation. Wandjina paintings are very stylistic across
the Kimberley. None is more than four centuries old. The paintings
typically show a clown-like face painted white surrounding by an outer,
barbed red halo that represents lightning (Fig. 6). They are without a
mouth, their nose indicates where the power flows down (Mowaljarlai &
Malnic 1993), and is a feature that looks remarkably like the comet
symbol painted on Fourth is the subtle disturbance of sandstone rocks sitting on flat landscape surfaces on interfluves. Except for one characteristic, these rocks could be interpreted as weathering features resulting from long-term erosion during the Holocene. This characteristic is the tendency for isolated boulders to form trains on flat surfaces that in some cases contain blocks leaning against each other like fallen dominoes. The Kimberley craton is remarkably stable and presently unaffected by large earthquakes. Something has not only shaken the landscape recently but also cast boulders against each other in an ordered fashion. The orientation of these ‘castaway’ boulders is 3508 to the NW. We propose that the alignment of shaken boulders reflects the direction of the blast wave from a cosmic airburst. Fifth is the evidence for catastrophic erosion of relatively small streams, similar to that observed elsewhere across the northern Australian monsoon region (Nott et al. 1996). In one of the steams feeding into the King Edward River, where the modern channel is less than 70 m wide and 2 m deep, the flood channel is more than 500 m wide. It has evidence of boulders being transported in suspension by flows more than 4 m deep with sufficient intensity to sculpt out erosional features characteristic of vortices eroded under catastrophic flow (Dahl 1965; Kor et al. 1991). These channels appear to be recent and beyond the capacity of maximum probable rainfalls, which are the upper design criteria for modern floods. Rainfall induced by a comet impact with the ocean is a possible phenomenon that could have carved these channels. Field evidenceThe challenge was to pursue the sources of this evidence
to the ocean and detect the signatures of catastrophic tsunami in the
coastal landscape. This landscape is also one subject to some of the
most intense tropical storms in the world (Nott 2004) associated with
winds in excess of 300 km hr21 and storm surges of 3.6 m (Bureau of
Meteorology 2000). Two sites stand out as showing evidence of tsunami.
The first is located at Cape ChronologyIt is possible to date the timing of this mega-tsunami
in the Kimberley using radiocarbon dating of shell. Again, the same
methodology as was used in the Tasman Sea region was used to calibrate
the ages. Thirteen dates have already been reported for the
comet-induced mega-tsunami postulated south of the Kimberley (Bryant &
Nott 2001; Nott & Bryant 2003). These are presented in the top panel of
Figure 8. The most recurrent age centres between AD 1620 and 1730 with a
defined peak at AD 1690. The date from Cape Attempts are being made to retrieve more datable
material from the Kimberley coastline to refine the chronology. Based on
the evidence presented here, and because Aboriginal legends concentrate
on the three main elements of a comet impact in the ocean: the comet
itself, tsunami and flooding rains, this seventeenth century tsunami has
been labelled the Wandjina event. No impact crater has yet been found,
although attempts are being made to find it, if it exists. However, this
is not a limitation to our research because both Aboriginal and Maori
legends favour the explosion of meteoritic debris in the atmosphere,
rather than an actual impact with the earth’s surface. Bolides can also
generate significant tsunami (Chyba et al. 1993; Verschuur 1996). The
Wandjina event generated the biggest and most widespread mega-tsunami
yet found in the Australian region. The wave reached a maximum of 35 km
inland in the Great Sandy Desert, deposited sands up to 40 m deep on the
lee side of headlands and laid down bedded gravels on the landward side
of 40 m hills situated over 5 km inland (Bryant & Nott 2001; Nott &
Bryant 2003). These aspects are an order of magnitude greater than that
produced by any historic volcanic or earthquake generated tsunami
originating from Indonesia (Nott & Bryant 2003). The spectacular nature
of this cosmic phenomenon has dominated Aboriginal mythology for the
past four centuries. Only by interpreting the proper significance of
this rich oral history and artwork, especially in the Kimberley, can the
true origin of this tsunami be recognized.
Peter Jupp is the author of the series. He is an Australian archaeologist with a passion not to follow traditions in archaeology. Peter does not think archaeology involves being ‘thrilled’ by dusting off broken pots and bones. What drives him is a passion to ask questions about civilizations and huge constructions that were suddenly smashed and just "disappeared" from the face of Earth. He also questions how cosmic interference from comets and other planets affected out planet. Peter Jupp majored in Archaeology at the University of Melbourne and also attended the School of Creative Arts at Melbourne University where he studied film making techniques and production. Jupp's inquisitive nature, and dedication to the mind’s love of logic and beauty has led him into an area of passion that seeks answers from many disciplines. Hence he has also studied Earth Sciences, Biology, Mythology and Art at a tertiary level. In earlier years he studied Applied Chemistry at RMIT, and later lectured in Medical Imaging at the Sydney University School of Radiology. The resulting culmination of knowledge in areas such as magnetic phenomena, chemistry and biology, as well as ancient history and mythology, powerfully informs his unique slant on archeology. This keen interest in the life sciences has given Peter 'Mungo' Jupp an unusually broad based understanding of the human journey on our planet, and lends a fascinating edge to the storyline of his films. His sense of humor, musicality and creativity enrich these documentaries.... thus they are at once entertaining and informative, alternately seducing and provoking the viewer into fresh questioning of our human and cosmic history. |
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