This 6,000-year-old skull probably belonged to the oldest known tsunami victim

(Image credit: Goff J, Golitko M, Cochrane E, Curnoe D, Williams S, Terrell J/PLoS ONE)

published 26 October 2017

When a geologist first dug up an ancient human skull in Papua New Guinea back in 1929, he assumed it was millions of years old. Now, researchers have uncovered its real story.

The skull is actually 6,000 years old and belonged to a tsunami victim, according to analysis published in the journal PLOS ONE. And even though it's younger than originally thought, the skull likely belongs to the oldest known tsunami victim.

Researchers investigated geologic deposits from the area of northern Papau New Guinea where the skull was originally found. These turned out to be tsunami deposits full of fossilized sea organisms, NPR reported. Researchers also used radioactive dating to narrow down the skull's age, proving it belonged to a modern human.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.