Radiocarbon Reveals Post‑Eruption Migration

A radiocarbon time‑frequency (count of dated materials over time) can serve as a quantitative proxy for population change after catastrophic events; applied to the 5,250 BCE Kikai‑Akahoya eruption, it shows local collapse near the volcano but contemporaneous population increases in nearby areas, consistent with refugee dispersal, economic adaptation, and social reorganization rather than wholesale regional extinction. This reframes prehistoric disaster outcomes as dynamic demographic reconfiguration detectable with statistical dating methods. — If disasters often cause redistribution and networked survival rather than simple annihilation, modern policy on disaster relief, migration management, and resilience planning should emphasise mobility, social re‑linkage and decentralized recovery capacity.