Hello, my name is Alex Iles, and welcome to Howick on the stunning Northumberland coast. Today, we’re diving into one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in prehistoric Europe—the Storegga Slide.
What Was the Storegga Slide?
The Storegga Slide was a massive undersea landslide that occurred around 6175 BC (give or take 25 years). This event had an apocalyptic impact on the Mesolithic communities of Doggerland, the ancient landmass that once connected Britain to mainland Europe. The tsunami it triggered devastated the east coast of Britain, Norway, and beyond.
The Chain Reaction of a Global Climate Shift
To understand the Storegga Slide, we need to go even further back in time. During the Mesolithic period, the world was experiencing a warming trend, causing glaciers and ice sheets to melt.
One of these ice sheets, a colossal expanse covering much of northern Canada, held back an enormous glacial lake. Eventually, as temperatures rose, the ice wall containing the lake cracked. In an instant, a vast surge of water broke free, flooding into the Atlantic Ocean.
The sudden influx of fresh water disrupted oceanic currents and cooled the North Atlantic, leading to a temperature drop of about two degrees Celsius in Greenland. This climate shift raised global sea levels by approximately one meter—enough to have devastating consequences.
The Landslide That Shook the North Sea
On the Norwegian coast sat the Storegga Ridge, a massive underwater valley. When the sudden cooling of the Atlantic hit, it had an unexpected effect: the cold water made the seabed brittle. Over time, this led to a catastrophic landslide—one of the largest in history.
Millions of tons of sediment cascaded into the North Sea, displacing vast amounts of water and triggering a tsunami. But the disaster didn’t end there—successive landslides caused multiple waves to surge across the sea.
The Tsunami’s Impact
When the tsunami reached Norway, it towered an estimated 10 meters (33 feet) high. As it traveled across the North Sea, it lost some of its height but retained its ferocity. By the time it reached the east coast of Britain, the waves still stood between 3 to 6 meters (10 to 20 feet) high—more than enough to obliterate coastal settlements.
Doggerland, the low-lying landmass that once connected Britain to Europe, was hit especially hard. Much of it was submerged, and what remained—like Dogger Bank, which in modern times sits only three meters above sea level—would have been devastated.
Interestingly, parts of southeastern England may have been shielded from the worst of the tsunami by the geography of Doggerland itself. But for those living in the exposed regions, survival was slim.
Evidence of the Tsunami’s Destruction
Here in Howick, researchers have drilled deep into the land and discovered a 45-centimeter (18-inch) thick sediment layer—a mix of fine sand and pebbles deposited by the tsunami. These materials, likely ripped from the Norwegian coast, were hurled inland at tremendous speeds.
The force of the waves would have been unimaginable. Trees were uprooted, animal populations decimated, and any Mesolithic settlements along the coast were completely obliterated.
Even worse, the tsunami wasn’t a one-time event. It came in successive waves, meaning that if anyone had managed to survive the first impact, they had little time to flee before the next surge arrived.
Psychological and Cultural Aftermath
For Mesolithic people, the Storegga tsunami would have been a life-altering event. Many communities may have avoided coastal areas for generations afterward, pushing settlements further inland and to higher ground.
The long-term consequences were just as profound. Rising sea levels continued to swallow what remained of Doggerland over the centuries, cutting Britain off from mainland Europe. Those who once migrated freely between the two now had to adapt to a permanently altered world.
A Lesson from Prehistory
The Storegga Slide serves as a powerful reminder of how climate change and geological forces can reshape the world in an instant. What began as a shift in global temperatures led to one of the most devastating tsunamis in human prehistory.
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s exploration of this incredible event. If you found this fascinating, please consider subscribing to the channel, sharing this with friends, and supporting my work on Patreon. Your support helps shape future content and keeps these historical deep dives coming.
Stay safe and well, and thank you for joining me on this journey into the past!
Refrences,
Resilience or wipe out? Evaluating the convergent impacts of the 8.2 ka event and Storegga tsunami on the Mesolithic of northeast Britain https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.04.015
