Ferrying an island with mortals on top. Is it possible without killing them?

Tolkien wrote on The Silmarillion about Tol Eressea, an island that the vala Ulmo (a god-like figure) used to ferry the elves back and forth across the sea into the Western lands. José Saramago also wrote a novel (The Stone Raft), about the Iberian Peninsula breaking off the rest of Europe.

Trouble is, I have asked a question where I was answered that breaking two continents apart very suddendly would be so catastrophic that people would very hardly survive, especially on the coast.

I would like to write about a portion of land breaking off from the main continent, becoming an island. On top of that portion of land, there would be a city with people on it (their technological level would be ancient or medieval).

Now, I don't care about the damages on the city. But I would like that a substantial number of people would survive the event. And then that those people would be carried on top of that island from the continent of origin to another continent on the span of a lifetime

My question is two-fold:

1. Is it possible for such an event to occur without the intervention of a god-like Ulmo figure? (Note: I want a geological explanation: No human intervention and no "we thought we were on an island but it was actually the shell of a giant turtle the whole time" kind of twist)

2. If there is no other way to explain it except for the intervention of a god-like Ulmo figure... how would the people fare on that island? Would the ferrying cause massive earthquakes and tsunamis throughout the entire journey that would kill all my travelers? Is there any way to avoid this? (Edit: For clarification, the divine intervention would be limited to physically moving the island around, not protecting the city).

(Edit: I wouldn't like answers about moving land bridges, but true islands)

posted almost 8 years ago

Pedro Gabriel‭

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