(CNN) A tsunami which struck southern China around a thousand years ago nearly wiped out civilization in what is now one of the most densely populated regions of the planet, according to a new study by Chinese scientists. "We found sedimentary and biological (evidence) indicating that a tsunami occurred in the South China Sea and struck the island about a thousand years ago," they said. For their latest study, Sun and Xie's team turned to Nan'ao Island in southeastern Guangdong "to study the influence of the South China Sea tsunami." The new South China Sea systems, experts told state media , "can issue an alert two hours before seismic sea waves arrive." "Previous tsunami warning systems using seismic and water level data, always made forecasts relying on people's experience, which resulted in many errors.

Source: CNN January 03, 2019 05:20 UTC