Tsunami disturbance on coastal shell middens: McCauleys Beach, New South Wales

It is important for archaeologists to understand relationships between human and natural processes as well as their effects on archaeological sites. To do this we need firstly, to identify natural impacts to understand the context of Aboriginal occupation. Secondly, we need to identify how Aboriginal people modified coastal deposits by fire, resource use and their settlements. Thirdly, we need to understand the sedimentological record, especially in trying to separate convulsive (e.g. tsunamis), periodic (e.g. storm waves) and long-term processes (sea level changes). An understanding of these processes is also important for management, particularly for predicting future changes with possible Greenhouse effects.