Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Spirit tales reveal ancient landslides

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » The DU Lounge Donate to DU
 
emad Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jul-14-05 08:50 AM
Original message
Spirit tales reveal ancient landslides

Tom Simonite


North American folklore points to dangers for Seattle.

© Timber Press, Portland, Oregon

A study of Native American tales of a two-headed serpent spirit has hinted at the potential impact of a fault that lies directly beneath Seattle.

Researchers have been studying stories from the Salish people of the North American west coast about a'yahos, a spirit associated with shaking of the ground and rushing, muddy water. They say the tales are strongly linked to a quake that occurred in AD 900. By tracing the tales to specific locations, they have found evidence of ancient landslides.

Ruth Ludwin, a researcher at the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network at the University of Washington in Seattle, thinks another earthquake in the now densely populated area could trigger a similar slide, with potentially disastrous effects. "I don't think people fully appreciate the severity of the landslides," she adds. She also says that such work can help to educate residents about the risks of an earthquake. "I think that the first-person eye-witness accounts are necessary to fully understand the hazards."

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050711/full/050711-7.html
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top

Home » Discuss » The DU Lounge Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC