Folklore uncovers a tsunami that rocked Hawaii hundreds of years ago

A Hawaiian narrative story involving the wrath of two deities has helped scientists track down remnants of an 8-metre-high tsunami that battered the state’s second largest island, Maui, at least 350 years ago.

“Our work breathes new life into an ancient moʻolelo [a story passed down in folklore], putting flesh on the bones of a significant historical event,” says Scott Fisher at the University of Southampton, UK.