Amber in Cretaceous Sea Deposits Contains Traces of Ancient Large-Scale Tsunamis

Large amber deposits discovered in northern Japan were likely swept out from a forest to the ocean by one or more tsunamis between 116 and 114 million years ago (Early Cretaceous epoch), according to new research led by the Geological Survey of Japan and Chuo University. Amber deposit from Shimonakagawa Quarry in northern Hokkaido, Japan. Image credit: Kubota et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-96498-2. Traces of ancient tsunamis are hard to identify, as the waves can reshape coastlines and the deposits they leave can be difficult to distinguish from those caused by other high-energy events, such as storms. However, amber, formed on