Dating a Medieval Tsunami With Uranium‐Series Techniques on Caribbean Corals

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.

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Publication Details

Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Published
2025-10-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gl114448
Primary Topic
Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
Type
article
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article

Dating a Medieval Tsunami With Uranium‐Series Techniques on Caribbean Corals

Brian F. Atwater, K. Halimeda Kilbourne, Chuan‐Chou Shen, Hailong Sun et al.
Geophysical Research Letters
Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
article

Dating a Medieval Tsunami With Uranium‐Series Techniques on Caribbean Corals

Brian F. Atwater, K. Halimeda Kilbourne, Chuan‐Chou Shen, Hailong Sun, Nathalie Feuillet, Pierre Deschamps, Yuan‐Yuan Xu, Robert B. Halley, Jennifer Weil‐Accardo
article en

Abstract

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.

Geophysical Research LettersVol. 52(19)
United States Geological Survey (US), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University System of Maryland (US), Institut de physique du globe de Paris (FR), University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (US), National Taiwan University (TW), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Université Paris Cité (FR), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Centre de Recherche et d’Enseignement de Géosciences de l’Environnement (FR), Institute of Geochemistry (CN), Earth and Space Research (US), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), University of Maryland, College Park (US), University of Delaware (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 67%
Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
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