Based on the location in which the deposit was found, the tsunami must be a very significant event. The layer deposited in the sinkhole was sourced by a tsunami much larger than anything generated by the largest Pacific earthquakes. The largest run-up height in modern times was from the 1960 Valdivia earthquake which tsunami run-up measured 3 meters. None of the recent tsunamis have been able to reach and inundate the Makauwahi Sinkhole, which lies 7.2 meters above sea level at a distance of 100 meters from the shore.