Dating a medieval tsunami with uranium-series techniques on Caribbean corals
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Abstract
Uranium-series dates from coral boulders constrain the timing of a medieval tsunami from the Puerto Rico Trench. Previously reported evidence for this tsunami includes hundreds of coral boulders that came to rest hundreds of meters inland on Anegada, British Virgin Islands. New U-series dates on these coral boulders provide limiting dates for the tsunami. The narrowest limits were by dating interior bands of a coral that retains the hemispherical form of a living coral colony, and which include adjustments for the number of annual density band couplets between the dated samples and the boulder exteriors. By those limits, the tsunami dates between 1381 and 1391 CE, and likely occurred during summer or fall. The tsunami is important as the only reported sign that the eastern Puerto Rico Trench has produced a great earthquake. The dating may aid in defining the earthquake source and in communicating tsunami hazards.
Suggested Citation
Kilbourne, K.H., Weil-Accardo, J., Feuillet, N., Deschamps, P., Xu, Y., Shen, C., Sun, H., Halley, R.B., and Atwater, B., 2025, Dating a medieval tsunami with uranium-series techniques on Caribbean corals: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 52, no. 19, e2024GL114448, 11 p., https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114448.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Dating a medieval tsunami with uranium-series techniques on Caribbean corals |
| Series title | Geophysical Research Letters |
| DOI | 10.1029/2024GL114448 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 19 |
| Publication Date | October 08, 2025 |
| Year Published | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| Contributing office(s) | Earthquake Science Center |
| Description | e2024GL114448, 11 p. |
| Country | England, United States |
| Other Geospatial | British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico |