Surviving on the Island: Chapter 27

Tsunami graphic. From Wikimedia Commons.

Karana visits the sandspit to repair her canoe by putting fresh pitch (asphaltum) into the cracks between the planks of wood. She hears a loud thunder-like sound and notices that the water of the ocean is much lower than it has ever been before.

Karana soon sees a huge wave (tsunami) coming towards the island, and she runs to escape by climbing a cliff. She climbs as high as she can but is soaked by a second, larger ocean wave.

Once the water retreats, Karana leaves the cliff for the safety of her shelter. She finds that Rontu-Aru survived the large waves because their home is on the high headlands.

The following morning, a series of large earthquakes throws both Karana and Rontu-Aru to the ground. The earthquakes did some damage to the entrance to their home, but both Karana and Rontu-Aru are unharmed.

Fact Check: Earthquake and Tsunami

Was there an earthquake and tsunami on San Nicolas Island in the mid-1800s (nineteenth century), when the Lone Woman would have been alone on the island? 

What do we know? 
A major earthquake shook the region around Santa Barbara, California, on December 21, 1812, before most of the Nicoleños left the island for the California mainland. It is likely that there were strong aftershocks. The earthquake and aftershocks would have been felt along the coast and on the Channel Islands. There are numerous references to a tsunami that immediately followed (and was caused by) the earthquake, but little is known about it. 

What is the evidence?
Primary sources: The commandant at the Presidio in Santa Barbara and a priest at Mission San Buenaventura mention the earthquake and tsunami in letters written in 1812 and early 1813. 

Secondary source: An excerpt from a twenty-first century newspaper article tells the story of a ship washed one-half mile inland by the 1812 tsunami.

Secondary source: A publication by the California Geological Survey documents the state’s tsunami history.

Voices from the Field

Laura Reynolds, a graduate student at University of California, Santa Barbara, talks about the earthquake and tsunami of 1812 and its impact on the Channel Islands. 

Photos & Multimedia

Photo: Tsunami hazard zone sign
Video: How Tsunamis Work (3:36)
Video: Tsunamis: Know What to Do (7:57)
Video: Lessons Save Lives: The Story of Tilly Smith (5:05). Learn about a ten-year-old girl who saved dozens of people in the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 because she knew what to do.

Teacher Resources

Writing Prompts and Lesson Plans