Nicaragua

In Nicaragua, sand high above a lake records an ancient tsunami.

A few thousand years ago, an explosive volcanic eruption occurred beside Lake Managua. The eruption displaced huge amounts of water and generated tsunami waves inside the lake.

As the waves surged across the land, they left behind a thick layer of well-sorted sand. Geologists have found the same deposit at sites up to 32 metres above today’s lake level.

The sand remains as evidence of a tsunami that came not from the ocean, but from a volcanic lake.