Doggerland: Lost land bridge hit by Storegga tsunami ~8,150 years ago

September 12, 2026United KingdomGeneralShare

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Key facts

• During the last glacial maximum about 20,000 years ago, global sea levels stood 120-135 m lower than today
• Meltwater pulse 1A about 14,500 years ago caused sea levels to surge by as much as 20 m in a few centuries
• Doggerland was a habitable land bridge connecting Britain to Europe, and Beringia connected Asia and North America
• About 8,150 years ago, a massive seabed collapse off Norway dumped thousands of cubic kilometers of sediment into the ocean, triggering a huge tsunami
• Timing confirmed by geologists finding green moss stems with chlorophyll traces buried in the sand layer, indicating plants torn up alive
• The wave reached as far east as Scotland and Shetland, and struck Doggerland
• Near Inverness, archaeologists found an occupation layer with worked flint but no surviving structures, covered by tsunami sand
• Some scientists argue this tsunami may have ended permanent habitation on the last remnants of Doggerland

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