Meet geologists James Goff and Scott Nichol as they investigate how ocean pebbles ended up on clifftops in Northland. What was it that caused the sudden change in the landscape?
There is evidence of tsunamis in Māori pūrākau – the stories that have been passed down by Māori through generations. Support for the idea that a tsunami had occurred was also found in archaeological evidence and evidence from soil samples.
Check your school resource area for the article from the 2014 level 3 Connected journal ‘Why is that?’, download it as Google slides with the text and images from the article or order it from the Ministry of Education.
The teacher support material (TSM) can be downloaded from TKI (Word and PDF files available, click on 'Look inside this issue'). These focus on the science capability ‘Using evidence’. Activity suggestions support students to understand tsunamis, why fossils help us to understand our past and the usefulness of different sources of evidence. Literacy strategies are also suggested, and additional resource links are provided.
Related content
The hub has many resources on tsunamis and related science concepts like waves. Go to the Tsunamis and surf – introduction, for an overview.
Find out about the similarities and differences between tsunamis and surf waves, and learn how ocean waves are studied in New Zealand, how early Māori used ocean waves as a guide to navigate across the Pacific, and why you should never try to surf a tsunami.
Student activities
Use an interactive or paper-based Venn diagram to illustrate the key similarities and differences between tsunami waves and surf waves.
The activity Wave tank modelling uses a shallow tray of water to demonstrate wave generation and behaviour.
Useful links
The 2012 School Journal article ‘The hungry wave’ is based on factual accounts from survivors of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Tonga and Samoa in 2009. The TSM has detailed suggestions for supporting level 3 reading and writing.
Find out more about the 1868 Arica tsunami that hit the Chatham Islands in this Geonet article.
Listen to this Radio New Zealand podcast to find out how Māori oral histories are helping scientists evaluate future tsunami risks.
Acknowledgement
The Connected series is published annually by the Ministry of Education, New Zealand.
