The pre-colonial history (i.e. before the 16th century) of Tonga and West Polynesia still suffers from major gaps despite significant scientific advances in recent years, particularly in the field of archaeology. By the 14th century, the powerful Tu’i Tonga kingdom united the islands of the Tongan archipelago under a centralised authority and, according to tradition, extended its influence to neighbouring island groups in the Central Pacific. However, some periods of deep crisis were identified, e.g. in the mid- 15th century, marked by an abrupt cessation of inter-archipelago migration on the deep seas in the Pacific, significant cultural changes, and a decrease in accessible natural resources. The origins of these disturbances are still debated, and they are usually assigned to internal political problems or loss of external influence vis-à-vis neighboring chiefdoms. However, the hypothesis of a major natural disaster was rarely suggested up to now, while field evidence points to the occurrence of a very large tsunami in the past, including the presence of numerous megablocks that were deposited by a “red wave” (or peau kula, which also mean tsunami in the Tongan language) according to a local myth. Drawing on a body of new evidence from sedimentary signatures and radiocarbon dating of charcoal and marine bioclasts, geomorphology, and sedimentology, in support of previously published archaeological data, we argue that a large tsunami inundated large areas of Tongatapu island in the mid-15th century with runup heights up to 30 m, and that the Tu’i Tonga kingdom was severely impacted by this event. We also discuss the likely sources of this tsunami.

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Tidore and Hiri Islands in North Maluku Province is the result of a complex tectonic setting. In contrast with Ternate Island and its well-known volcano, Gamalama volcano, there is still a lack of research about volcanic information or volcanic landform in Tidore and Hiri Islands. Even though the two islands also have volcanoes, i.e., Hiri and Tidore/Kiematubu volcano. This study aims to provide geomorphological information, especially in Tidore and Hiri Islands, since this information is hard to find whereas it is very important to disaster mitigation and landuse planning. We used remote sensing images, digital elevation models (DEM), and geological maps to classify geomorphological information of the small island of Tidore and Hiri in the North Maluku based on geomorphological aspects, i.e., morphology, morphogenesis, morpho-chronology, and morpho-arrangement. As a volcanic island, the slope in Tidore and Hiri Island is dominated by a slightly steep (8°-16°) and a steep slope (16°-35°), while the relief is dominated by hills and mountainous. Volcanic landforms on Tidore and Hiri Islands are characterized by relatively symmetrical cone-shaped volcanic cones, which are accumulations of falling pyroclastic material and lava ejected from magma vents. Volcanic islands include the case of Tidore and Hiri Island have radial centrifugal river flow patterns. The material on Tidore and Hiri Islands is dominated by Holocene volcanic rocks. In Tidore, there is alluvial material on the west and east coasts of the island. This study result also can be developed into more detailed geomorphological maps, or landscape evolution in a volcanic island, or spatial planning.