Whereisyourcurrentworkfocused?

I amlookingforanddescribingcoastlinesandtsunamidepositsalloverthe world.


Tsunamisarelargeandpowerfuloceanwaves.Theygrowinsizeastheyreachtheshore.Earthquakescausemosttsunamis.Whenthishappens,biggapsmayappearontheoceanfloor.Watermovesintofillthisgap.Thenatsunamiforms.Goodmanstudiedonein Israel.

abeachinCaesarea, Israel

underwaterruinsin Caesarea

Describe your first dive in Israel.

Oneoftheexcavation leaderstookusoutforatourofthesite.Hewantedtocheckourgear.Healsowantedtoseehowwehandledourselvesinthewater.Iwasvery nervous.


Oncewedroppedintothewater,however,weweresurroundedbyhugeblocksofancientbuildingmaterials.Atthatpoint,Iwastoodistractedtothinkaboutanything else.


Wecruisedaroundancientblockscoveredinplantsandcritters.Throughnarrowspaces,wecouldseewoodthatwas2,000years old!

Whatwereyoulookingforduringthatseasonofexcavation?

Weneededtofindevidencethattsunamishappenedhereinthepast.Wedidn’thaveproofonland.Oneproblemisthatanarchaeologicalsiteonacoastlinehasalotofsand,pottery,shell,andgravel.Atsunamideposithasthesamethings!Itwashardtobesurethatthoselayerswerefroma tsunami.


So,theteamlookedforevidenceoftsunamisbelowthe surface.

Goodmancollectsasedimentsampleinasmall bag.

Goodmanshowsstudentswhattheinsideofacoresamplelooks like.

Thefirstevidencewascollectedduringunderwaterexcavations.Weusedawaterdredge.Thisislikeanunderwatervacuum cleaner.


Wefoundlayersofmaterialsfromthedeepsea.Theyweremixedwithmaterialsfromtheshallowseaandbeach.Therewasalsomaterialthatcamefromtheland.Themixtureincludedpottery,shells,pebbles,tinyorganisms,patchesofmud,andevenlargepiecesofcarvedmarble.Theonlythingthatcouldcausethismixofmaterialswouldbestrong waves.


Theteamthenlinkedtheageofthedepositstotheageofhistorical events.

Thediscoverywasimportant.Itprovedthatthewrittenrecordsweredescribingactual tsunamis.


Wethoughtthedebrisfieldshouldbeverylarge.Tofindout,weneededtotakecoresamples.Wehadtoinsertlongpipesintotheseafloor.Thisisnotsoeasytodoinsand.Youmusthammerthepipeinalongtime.Thenyoumustremoveit somehow.


Weneededtoconnectanautomatichammertothepipetohammeritin.Weneededtoattachropesandfloatstopullitout.Ittookalotofthinkinguntilwegotit right.

Goodmanholdsapipebeingusedtotakeasampleofthe seabed.