Numerical simulation of the 1992 Flores tsunami: Interpretation of tsunami phenomena in northeastern Flores Island and damage at Babi Island

Numerical analysis of the 1992 Flores Island, Indonesia earthquake tsunami is carried out with the composite fault model consisting of two different slip values. Computed results show good agreement with the measured runup heights in the northeastern part of Flores Island, except for those in the southern shore of Hading Bay and at Riangkroko. The landslides in the southern part of Hading Bay could generate local tsunamis of more than 10 m. The circular-arc slip model proposed in this study for wave generation due to landslides shows better results than the subsidence model, It is, however, difficult to reproduce the tsunami runup height of 26.2 m at Riangkroko, which was extraordinarily high compared to other places. The wave propagation process on a sea bottom with a steep slope, as well as landslides, may be the cause of the amplification of tsunami at Riangkroko. The simulation model demonstrates that the reflected wave along the northeastern shore of Flores Island, accompanying a high hydraulic pressure, could be the main cause of severe damage in the southern coast of Babi Island.     

Field survey of the 1994 Mindoro Island,Philippines tsunami

This is a report of the field survey of the November 15, 1994 Mindoro Island, Philippines, tsunami generated by an earthquake (M=7.0) with a strike-slip motion. We will report runup heights from 54 locations on Luzon, Mindoro and other smaller islands in the Cape Verde passage between Mindoro and Luzon. Most of the damage was concentrated along the northern coast of Mindoro. Runup height distribution ranged 3–4 m at the most severely damaged areas and 2–4 in neighboring areas. The tsunami-affected area was limited to within 10 km of the epicenter. The largest recorded runup value of 7.3 m was measured on the southwestern coast of Baco Island while a runup of 6.1 m was detected on its northern coastline. The earthquake and tsunami killed 62 people, injured 248 and destroyed 800 houses. As observed in other recent tsunami disasters, most of the casualties were children. Nearly all eyewitnesses interviewed described the first wave as a leading-depression wave. Eyewitnesses reported that the main direction of tsunami propagation was SW in Subaang Bay, SE in Wawa and Calapan, NE on Baco Island and N on Verde Island, suggesting that the tsunami source area was in the southern Pass of Verde Island and that the wave propagated rapidly in all directions. The fault plane extended offshore to the N of Mindoro Island, with its rupture originating S of Verde Island and propagating almost directly south to the inland of Mindoro, thereby accounting for the relatively limited damage area observed on the N of Mindoro.     

The July 1998 Papua New Guinea Earthquake: Mechanism and Quantification of Unusual Tsunami Generation

— The unusual tsunami generated by the July 17, 1998 Papua New Guinea earthquake was investigated on the basis of various geophysical observations, including seismological data, tsunami waveform records, and on-land and submarine surveys. The tsunami source models were constructed for seismological high-angle and low-angle faults, splay fault, and submarine slumps. Far-field and near-field tsunamis computed from these models were compared with the recorded waveforms in and around Japan and the measured heights along the coast around Sissano Lagoon, respectively. In order to reproduce the far-field tsunami waveforms, small sources such as splay fault or submarine slump alone were not enough, and a seismological fault model was required. Relocated aftershock distribution and observed coastal subsidence were preferable for the low-angle fault, but the low-angle fault alone could not reproduce the large near-field tsunamis. The low-angle fault with additional source, possibly a submarine slump, is the most likely source of the 1998 tsunami, although other possibilities cannot be excluded. Computations from different source models showed that the far-field tsunami amplitudes are proportional to the displaced water volume at the source, and the comparison with the observed tsunami amplitudes indicated that the displaced water volume at the 1998 tsunami source was ～0.6 km³. The near-filed tsunami heights, on the other hand, are determined by the potential energy of displaced water, and the comparison with the observed heights showed that the potential energy was ～2 × 10¹² J.     

Field Measurements and Numerical Simulations of the 2004 Tsunami Impact on the East Coast of Sri Lanka

This paper employs a numerical model of tsunami propagation together with documented observations and field measurements of the evidence left behind by the tsunami in December 2004, to identify and interpret the factors that have contributed to the significant spatial variability of the level of tsunami impact along the coastal belt of the eastern province of Sri Lanka. The model results considered in the present analysis include the distribution of the amplitude of the tsunami and the pattern of wave propagation over the continental shelf off the east coast, while the field data examined comprise the maximum water levels measured at or near the shoreline, the horizontal inundation distances and the number of housing and other buildings damaged. The computed maximum amplitude of the tsunami at water points nearest the shoreline along the east coast shows considerable variation ranging from 2.2 m to 11.4 m with a mean value of 5.7 m; moreover, the computed amplitudes agree well with the available field measurements. We also show that the shelf bathymetry off the east coast, particularly the submarine canyons at several locations, significantly influences the near-shore transformation of tsunami waves, and consequently, the spatial variation of the maximum water levels along the coastline. The measured values of inundation also show significant variation along the east coast and range from 70 m to 4560 m with a median value of 700 m. Our analyses of field data also show the dominant influence of the coastal topography and geomorphology on the extent of tsunami inundation. Furthermore, the measured inundation distances indicate no apparent correlation with the computed tsunami heights at the respective locations. We also show that both the computed tsunami heights and the measured inundation distances for the east coast closely follow the log-normal statistical distribution.     

Modeling the seismic source and tsunami generation of the December 12, 1992 Flores Island,Indonesia, earthquake

On December 12, 1992 a large earthquake (M _s 7.5) occurred just north of Flores Island, Indonesia which, along with the tsunami it generated, killed more than 2,000 people. In this study, teleseismicP andSH waves, as well asPP waves from distances up to 123°, are inverted for the orientations and time histories of multiple point sources. By repeating the inversion for reasonable values of depth, time separation and spatial separation, a 2-fault model is developed. Next, the vertical deformation of the seafloor is estimated from this fault model. Using a detailed bathymetric model, linear and nonlinear tsunami propagation models are tested. The data consist of a single tide gauge record at Palopo (650 km to the north), as well as tsunami runup height measurements from Flores Island and nearby islands. Assuming a tsunami runup amplification factor of two, the two-fault model explains the tide gauge record and the tsunami runup heights on most of Flores Island. It cannot, however, explain the large tsunami runup heights observed near Leworahang (on Hading Bay) and Riangkroko (on the northeast peninsula). Massive coastal slumping was observed at both of these locations. A final model, which in addition to the two faults, includes point sources of large vertical displacement at these two locations explains the observations quite well.     

Damage to coastal villages due to the 1992 Flores Island earthquake tsunami

A field survey of the 1992 Flores Island earthquake tsunami was conducted during December 29, 1992 to January 5, 1993 along the north coast of the eastern part of Flores Island. We visited over 40 villages, measured tsunami heights, and interviewed the inhabitants. It was clarified that the first wave attacked the coast within five minutes at most of the surveyed villages. The crust was uplifted west of the Cape of Batumanuk, and subsided east of it. In the residential area of Wuring, which is located on a sand spit with ground height of 2 meters, most wooden houses built on stilts collapsed and 87 people were killed even though the tsunami height reached only 3.2 meters. In the two villages on Babi Island, the tsunami swept away all wooden houses and killed 263 of 1,093 inhabitants. Tsunami height at Riang-Kroko village on the northeastern end of Flores Island reached 26.2 meters and 137 of the 406 inhabitants were killed by the tsumani. Evidence of landslides was detected at a few points on the coast of Hading Bay, and the huge tsunami was probably formed by earthquake-induced landslides. The relationship between tsunami height and mortality was checked for seven villages. The efficiencies of trees arranged in front of coastal villages, and coral reefs in dissipating the tsunami energy are discussed.     

Tsunami generation of the 1993 Hokkaido Nansei-Oki earthquake

Heterogeneous fault motion of the 1993 Hokkaido Nansei-Oki earthquake is studied by using seismic, geodetic and tsunami data, and the tsunami generation from the fault model is examined. Seismological analyses indicate that the focal mechanism of the first 10 s, when about a third of the total moment was released, is different from the overall focal mechanism. A joint inversion of geodetic data on Okushiri Island and the tide gauge records in Japan and Korea indicates that the largest slip, about 6 m, occurred in a small area just south of the epicenter. This corresponds to the initial rupture on a fault plane dipping shallowly to the west. The slip on the northernmost subfault, which is dipping to the east, is about 2 m, while the slips on the southern subfaults, which are steeply dipping to the west, are more than 3 m. Tsunami heights around Okushiri Island are calculated from the heterogeneous fault model using different grid sizes. Computation on the smaller grids produces large tsunami height that are closer to the observed tsunami runup heights. Tsunami propagation in the nearly closed Japan Sea is examined as the free oscillation of the Japan Sea. The excitation of the free oscillation by this earthquake is smaller than that by the 1964 Niigata or 1983 Japan Sea earthquake.     

Re-examination of the Source Mechanism of the 1998 Papua New Guinea Earthquake and Tsunami

— Simulation of tsunami propagation and runup of the 1998 Papua New Guinea (PNG) earthquake tsunami using the detailed bathymetry measured by JAMSTEC and adding bathymetric data at depths less than 60 m is carried out, reproducing the tsunami energy focus into Warapu and Arop along the Sissano Lagoon. However, the computed runup heights in the lagoon are still lower than those measured. Even if the error in estimating the fault parameters is taken into consideration, computational results are similar. Analysis by the wave ray method using several scenarios of the source size of the tsunami and location by the wave ray method suggests that a source characterized by small size in water 1,000-m deep approximately 25 km offshore the lagoon, best fits the arrival determined from the interviews with eyewitnesses. A two-layer numerical model simulating the interaction of the tsunami with a landslide is employed to study the behavior of a landslide-generated tsunami with different size sand depths of the initial slide just outside the lagoon. A landslide model with a volume of 4–8 × 10⁹ m³ is selected as the best in order to reproduce the distribution of the measured tsunami runup in the lagoon. The simulation of a tsunami generated in two stages, fault and landslide, could show good agreement with the runup heights and distribution of the arrival time, but a time gap of around 10 minutes remains, suggesting that a tsunami generated by the mainshock at 6:49 PM local time is too small for people to notice, and the following tsunami triggered by landslide or mass movement near the lagoon about ten minutes after the mainshock attacked the coast and caused the huge damage.     

设定琉球海沟发生罕遇地震评估我国东南沿海地区的海啸风险

根据构造相似条件分析,琉球海沟与日本海沟、智利海沟、印尼巽他海沟一样具备发生9级罕遇超巨大地震的可能。在对近几年来全球发生的超巨大地震参数及构造对比分析的基础上,设定琉球海沟9.0级地震参数,并将其引发的海啸进行数值模拟研究。结果表明,该地震可引发初始波高为8m的海啸,台湾东北部半小时后遭受10m以上海啸,3~4小时左右传至浙南、闽北沿岸,近岸各处波高在1~2m;5小时左右传至浙北、粤北沿岸,浙江近岸各处波高在2m左右,广东沿海、台湾海峡由于台湾岛的正面阻挡,海啸波高低于50cm;8小时后靠近上海海岸线,最大波高约1m。海啸的上岸高度与海岸附近的海深和海岸线的形态密切相关,我国东南海域地形变化复杂、海湾众多,对海啸波有放大作用,模拟结果可能比实际海啸偏小。我国沿海地区分布着不少已建和在建的核电厂,在核电设计时未考虑海啸,一旦发生这种罕遇地震海啸则影响不可忽视,尤其是若与风暴潮、天文大潮叠加则可能出现严重后果。由于核电安全要求万无一失,故须制订有效预警和应对措施。     

Tsunami Assessment for Risk Management at Nuclear Power Facilities in Japan

The present study focuses on evaluation of the maximum and minimum water levels caused by tsunamis as risk factors for operation and management at nuclear power facilities along the coastal area of Japan. Tsunamis generated by submarine earthquakes are examined, basing literature reviews and databases of information on historical tsunami events and run-up heights. For simulation of water level along the coast, a numerical calculation system should be designed with computational regions covering a particular site. Also the calculation system should be verified by comparison of historical and calculated tsunami heights. At the beginning of the tsunami assessment, the standard faults, their locations, mechanisms and maximum magnitudes should be carefully estimated by considering historical earthquake-induced tsunamis and seismo-tectonics at each area. Secondly, the range of errors in the model parameters should be considered since earthquakes and tsunamis are natural phenomena that involve natural variability as well as errors in estimating parameters. For these reasons, uncertainty-induced errors should be taken into account in the process of tsunami assessment with parametric study of the tsunami source model. The element tsunamis calculated by the standard fault models with the errors would be given for the design. Then, the design tsunami can be selected among the element tsunamis with the most significant impact, maximum and minimum water levels, on the site, bearing in mind the possible errors in the numerical calculation system. Finally, the design tsunami is verified by comparison with the run-up heights of historical tsunamis, ensuring that the design tsunami is selected as the highest of all historical and possible future tsunamis at the site.     

Field survey report on tsunami disasters caused by the 1993 Southwest Hokkaido earthquake

Detailed field work at Okushiri Island and along the southwest coast of Hokkaido has revealed quantitatively (1) the advancing direction of tsunami on land, (2) the true tsunami height (i.e., height of tsunami, excluding its splashes, as measured from the ground) and (3) the flow velocity of tsunami on land, in heavily damaged areas. When a Japanese wooden house is swept away by tsunami, bolts that tie the house to its concrete foundation resist until the last moment and become bent towards the direction of the house being carried away. The orientations of more than 850 of those bent bolts and iron pipes (all that can be measured, mostly at Okushiri Island) and fell-down direction of about 400 trees clearly display how tsunami behaved on land and caused serious damage at various places. The true tsunami height was estimated by using several indicators, such as broken tree twigs and a window pane. The flow velocity of tsunami on land was determined by estimating the hydrodynamic force exerted on a bent handrail and a bent-down guardrail by the tsunami throughin situ strength tests.Contrary to the wide-spread recognition after the tsunami hazard, our results clearly indicate that only a few residential areas (i.e., Monai, eastern Hamatsumae, and a small portion at northern Aonae, all on Okushiri Island) were hit by a huge tsunami, with true heights reaching 10 m. Southern Aonae was completely swept away by tsunami that came directly from the focal region immediately to the west. The true tsunami height over the western sea wall of southern Aonae was estimated as 3 to 4 m. Northern Aonae also suffered severe damage due to tsunami that invaded from the corner zone of the sand dune (8 m high) and tide embankment at the northern end of the Aonae Harbor. This corner apparently acted as a tsunami amplifier, and tide embankment or breakwater can be quite dangerous when tsunami advances towards the corner it makes with the coast. The nearly complete devastation of Inaho at the northern end of Okushiri Island underscored the danger of tsunami whose propagation direction is parallel to the coast, since such tsunami waves tend to be amplified and tide embankment or breakwater is constructed low towards the coast at many harbors or fishing ports. Tsunami waves mostly of 2 to 4 m in true height swept away Hamatsumae on the southeast site of Okushiri Island where there were no coastal structures. Coastal structures were effective in reducing tsunami hazard at many sites. The maximum flow velocity at northern Aonae was estimated as 10 to 18 m/s (Tsutsumi et al., 1994), and such a high on-land velocity of tsunami near shore is probably due to the rapid shallowing of the deep sea near the epicentral region towards Okushiri Island. If the advancing direction, true height, and flow velocity of tsunami can be predicted by future analyses of tsunami generation and progagation, the analyses will be a powerful tool for future assessment of tsunami disasters, including the identification of blind spots in the tsunami hazard reduction.     

Tsunami Intensity Mapping Along the Coast of Tamilnadu (India) During the Deadliest Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 26, 2004

This paper presents tsunami intensity mapping and damage patterns along the surveyed coast of Tamilnadu (India) of the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004. The tsunami caused severe damage and claimed many victims in the coastal areas of eleven countries bordering the Indian Ocean. A twelve-stage tsunami intensity scale proposed by Papadopoulos and Imamura (2001) was followed to assign the intensity at the visited localities. Along the coast of the Indian mainland, tsunami damage sustained exclusively. Most severe damage was observed in Nagapattinam Beach, Nabiyarnagar, Vellaipalyam, and the Nagapattinam Port of Nagapattinum District on the east coast and Keelamanakudy village of Kanyakumari District on the western coast of Tamilnadu. The maximum assigned tsunami intensity was X+ at these localities. Minimum intensity V⁺ was received along the coast of Thanjavur, Puddukkotai and Ramnathpuram Districts in Palk Strait. The general observation reported by many people was that the first arrival was a tsunami crest. The largest tsunami waves were first arrivals on the eastern coast and the second arrivals on the western coast. Along the coast, people were unaware of the tsunami, and no anomalous behavior of ocean animals was reported. Good correlation was observed between the severity of damage and the presence of shadow zone of Sri Lanka, reflected waves from Sri Lanka and the Maldives Islands, variation in the width of the continental shelf, elevation of the coast and the presence of breakwaters. The presence of medu (naturally elevated landmass very close to the sea shore and elongated parallel to the coast) reduced the impact of the tsunami on the built environment.     

Distribution of boulders at Miyara Bay of Ishigaki Island,Japan: A flow characteristic indicator of tsunami and storm waves

This study investigates the distribution of boulders at Miyara Bay of Ishigaki Island, Japan. These boulders were deposited on a reef flat extending approximately 400–1300 m in width. Most boulders were rectangular to ellipsoidal, without sharp broken edges. They are reef and coral rock fragments estimated as <335 m³ (<633 t). Locally in the bay, the relationship between the boulder weight and position shows that boulders of a given weight have a clear limit on seaward distribution on the reef flat. For example, more than 1, 10, and 100 tons of boulders were deposited, respectively, more than 500, 300, and 100 m from the reef edge. The line is consistent with the possible landward transport limit by maximum storm waves at the Ryukyu Islands, suggesting that the line was formed by the reworking of some boulders by maximally strong storm waves, although we can not exclude the possibility that the line was formed by tsunamis. Furthermore, 68% of boulders at the bay are deposited beyond this line. Therefore, the presence of these boulders at their present positions is difficult to explain solely by storm waves, implying the possible tsunami origin of these boulders. The boulders are characteristically concentrated along the high‐tide line, suggesting the drastic reduction of the tsunami hydraulic force along the line. Previous studies using radiocarbon age dating, as well as our study, imply that at least 69 boulders at Miyara Bay were probably deposited at their present positions by the 1771 Meiwa tsunami, although some of these boulders might have been emplaced and displaced on the reef flat by prior tsunami or storm surges.     

Tsunami Source of the 2010 Mentawai, Indonesia Earthquake Inferred from Tsunami Field Survey and Waveform Modeling

The 2010 Mentawai earthquake (magnitude 7.7) generated a destructive tsunami that caused more than 500 casualties in the Mentawai Islands, west of Sumatra, Indonesia. Seismological analyses indicate that this earthquake was an unusual “tsunami earthquake,” which produces much larger tsunamis than expected from the seismic magnitude. We carried out a field survey to measure tsunami heights and inundation distances, an inversion of tsunami waveforms to estimate the slip distribution on the fault, and inundation modeling to compare the measured and simulated tsunami heights. The measured tsunami heights at eight locations on the west coasts of North and South Pagai Island ranged from 2.5 to 9.3 m, but were mostly in the 4–7 m range. At three villages, the tsunami inundation extended more than 300 m. Interviews of local residents indicated that the earthquake ground shaking was less intense than during previous large earthquakes and did not cause any damage. Inversion of tsunami waveforms recorded at nine coastal tide gauges, a nearby GPS buoy, and a DART station indicated a large slip (maximum 6.1 m) on a shallower part of the fault near the trench axis, a distribution similar to other tsunami earthquakes. The total seismic moment estimated from tsunami waveform inversion was 1.0 × 10²¹ Nm, which corresponded to M_w 7.9. Computed coastal tsunami heights from this tsunami source model using linear equations are similar to the measured tsunami heights. The inundation heights computed by using detailed bathymetry and topography data and nonlinear equations including inundation were smaller than the measured ones. This may have been partly due to the limited resolution and accuracy of publically available bathymetry and topography data. One-dimensional run-up computations using our surveyed topography profiles showed that the computed heights were roughly similar to the measured ones.     

Lituya Bay Landslide Impact Generated Mega-Tsunami 50th Anniversary

On July 10, 1958, an earthquake M_w 8.3 along the Fairweather fault triggered a major subaerial landslide into Gilbert Inlet at the head of Lituya Bay on the southern coast of Alaska. The landslide impacted the water at high speed generating a giant tsunami and the highest wave runup in recorded history. The mega-tsunami runup to an elevation of 524 m caused total forest destruction and erosion down to bedrock on a spur ridge in direct prolongation of the slide axis. A cross section of Gilbert Inlet was rebuilt at 1:675 scale in a two-dimensional physical laboratory model based on the generalized Froude similarity. A pneumatic landslide tsunami generator was used to generate a high-speed granular slide with controlled impact characteristics. State-of-the-art laser measurement techniques such as particle image velocimetry (PIV) and laser distance sensors (LDS) were applied to the decisive initial phase with landslide impact and wave generation as well as the runup on the headland. PIV provided instantaneous velocity vector fields in a large area of interest and gave insight into kinematics of wave generation and runup. The entire process of a high-speed granular landslide impact may be subdivided into two main stages: (a) Landslide impact and penetration with flow separation, cavity formation and wave generation, and (b) air cavity collapse with landslide run-out and debris detrainment causing massive phase mixing. Formation of a large air cavity — similar to an asteroid impact — in the back of the landslide is highlighted. A three-dimenional pneumatic landslide tsunami generator was designed, constructed and successfully deployed in the tsunami wave basin at OSU. The Lituya Bay landslide was reproduced in a three-dimensional physical model at 1:400 scale. The landslide surface velocities distribution was measured with PIV. The measured tsunami amplitude and runup heights serve as benchmark for analytical and numerical models.     

Tsunami and mechanism of great earthquakes

The relation between tsunamis and sea-bottom deformations associated with the Kurile Islands earthquake of 1969 and the Tokachi-Oki earthquake of 1968 is studied on the basis of a fairly complete set of seismological and tsunami data. The seismic results are included in the calculation of static crustal deformations. The calculated deformations are compared with the tsunami source area as obtained by the inverse refraction diagram, the first motion of tsunami waves, and the height of the sea-level disturbance at the source. It is found that such deformations as predicted by the seismic results can quantitatively explain the source parameters of tsunamis. These findings strongly favor the idea that tsunamis are generated by tectonic deformations rather than by large submarine landslides and slumps. This conclusion is supported by additional analyses for the 1964 Niigata, 1944 Tonankai, 1933 Sanriku earthquakes. For the 1946 Nankaido earthquake, the source deformation responsible for the tsunami generation is of much greater magnitude than that for seismic waves.     

Coastal Impacts of the March 11th Tohoku, Japan Tsunami in the Galapagos Islands

On March 11, 2011 at 5:46:23 UTC (March 10 11:46:23 PM Galapagos Local Time), the M_w 9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake occurred near the Tohoku region off the east coast of Japan, spawning a Pacific-wide tsunami. Approximately 12,000 km away, the Galapagos Islands experienced moderate tsunami impacts, including flooding, structural damage, and strong currents. In this paper, we present observations and measurements of the tsunami effects in the Galapagos, focusing on the four largest islands in the archipelago; (from west to east) Isabela, Santiagio, Santa Cruz, and San Cristobal. Access to the tsunami affected areas was one of the largest challenges of the field survey. Aside from approximately ten sandy beaches open to tourists, all other shoreline locations are restricted to anyone without a research permit; open cooperation with the Galapagos National Park provided the survey team complete access to the Islands coastlines. Survey locations were guided by numerical simulations of the tsunami performed prior to the field work. This numerical guidance accurately predicted the regions of highest impact, as well as regions of relatively low impact. Tide-corrected maximum tsunami heights were generally in the range of 3–4 m with the highest runup of 6 m measured in a small pocket beach on Isla Isabela. Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz Island, the largest harbor in the Galapagos experienced significant flooding and damage to structures located at the shoreline. A current meter moored inside the harbor recorded relatively weak tsunami currents of less than 0.3 m/s (0.6 knot) during the event. Comparisons with detailed numerical simulations suggest that these low current speed observations are most likely the result of data averaging at 20-min intervals and that maximum instantaneous current speeds were considerably larger. Currents in the Canal de Itabaca, a natural waterway between Santa Cruz Island and a smaller island offshore, were strong enough to displace multiple 5.5-ton navigation buoys. Numerical simulations indicate that currents in the Canal de Itabaca exceeded 4 m/s (~8 knots), a very large flow speed for a navigational waterway.     

The landslides and tsunamis of the 30th of December 2002 in Stromboli analysed through numerical simulations

On the 30th of December 2002 two tsunamis were generated only 7 min apart in Stromboli, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy. They represented the peak of a volcanic crisis that started 2 days before with a large emission of lava flows from a lateral vent that opened some hundreds of meters below the summit craters. Both tsunamis were produced by landslides that detached from the Sciara del Fuoco. This is a morphological scar and is the result of the last collapse of the northwestern flank of the volcanic edifice, that occurred less than 5 ka b.p. The first tsunami was due to a submarine mass movement that started very close to the coastline and that involved about 20×10⁶ m³ of material. The second tsunami was engendered by a subaerial landslide that detached at about 500 m above sea level and that involved a volume estimated at 4–9×10⁶ m³. The latter landslide can be seen as the retrogressive continuation of the first failure. The tsunamis were not perceived as distinct events by most people. They attacked all the coasts of Stromboli within a few minutes and arrived at the neighbouring island of Panarea, 20 km SSW of Stromboli, in less than 5 min. The tsunamis caused severe damage at Stromboli.In this work, the two tsunamis are studied by means of numerical simulations that use two distinct models, one for the landslides and one for the water waves. The motion of the sliding bodies is computed by means of a Lagrangian approach that partitions the mass into a set of blocks: we use both one-dimensional and two-dimensional schemes. The landslide model calculates the instantaneous rate of the vertical displacement of the sea surface caused by the motion of the underwater slide. This is included in the governing equations of the tsunami, which are solved by means of a finite-element (FE) technique. The tsunami is computed on two different grids formed by triangular elements, one covering the near-field around Stromboli and the other also including the island of Panarea.The simulations show that the main tsunamigenic potential of the slides is restricted to the first tens of seconds of their motion when they interact with the shallow-water coastal area, and that it diminishes drastically in deep water. The simulations explain how the tsunamis that are generated in the Sciara del Fuoco area, are able to attack the entire coastline of Stromboli with larger effects on the northern coast than on the southern. Strong refraction and bending of the tsunami fronts is due to the large near-shore bathymetric gradient, which is also responsible for the trapping of the waves and for the persistence of the oscillations. Further, the first tsunami produces large waves and runup heights comparable with the observations. The simulated second tsunami is only slightly smaller, though it was induced by a mass that is approximately one third of the first. The arrival of the first tsunami is negative, in accordance with most eyewitness reports. Conversely, the leading wave of the second tsunami is positive.     

日本宫崎县石卷平原海啸堆积物调查

2007年4月,为执行科技部科研院所社会公益课题 "中国沿海地区古海啸的定量研究",课题组部分成员访问了日本,并对日本东北地区宫崎县石卷海岸平原的海啸堆积物做了概略性的调查。2011年3月11日,该地区发生了9.0级大地震并引发海啸,造成了巨大的经济损失和人员伤亡。为了使人们对该地区过去的海啸历史有一个概略认识,并了解海啸堆积物的调查方法,对这次调查作一简要报道。这次调查揭示出3次海啸事件,最新一次发生在公元915年十和田火山喷发之前,对应于公元869年的贞观大海啸。     

Numerical Modelling of Tsunamis Generated by Hypothetical Landslides in the Strait of Georgia,British Columbia

--A modified and corrected version of the viscous slide model of Jiang and LeBlond (1994) is used to assess the tsunami risk associated with hypothetical underwater slope failures in two coastal areas of British Columbia having potentially unstable sediment deposits: (a) Malaspina Strait, separating the mainland coast and Texada Island in the central Strait of Georgia; and (b) Roberts Bank on the foreslope of the Fraser River Delta in the southern Strait of Georgia. The intent of this study is to demonstrate the capability of the model for tsunami risk assessment and to improve upon previous studies of tsunami risk in the region based on reasonable submarine landslide scenarios. The potential risk from tsunamis associated with slide failures has been examined, but the likelihood of failure events themselves was not considered. For the Malaspina Strait scenarios, simulated tsunamis are generated by failure of a lobe of perched sediment situ ated on the slope of eastern Texada Island. Failure as a flow slide of the estimated 1,250,000 m³ of sediment generates wave troughs reaching ц.9 m and trough-to-crest heights of 6 to 8 m along the coast of Texada Island. At Cape Cockburn, on the opposite side of the strait, wave heights of 1.5 to 2.0 m are produced. For Roberts Bank, simulated waves are examined for two separate failure scenarios. The larger slide (Case 1) involves the failure of a sediment lobe with lateral dimensions of 7 2 3 km² and volume of 0.75 km³ while the smaller slide (Case 2) fails a sediment lobe with dimensions of 4 2 2.6 km² and volume of 0.23 km³. Computations were made both for high (+3 m) and low (х m) tide conditions. For both failure volumes, maximum wave amplitudes (up to 18 m for Case 1 and 8 m for Case 2) occur on the coasts of Mayne and Galiano Islands, opposite the source area. Wave amplitudes are much smaller (1 to 4 m) on the mainl and coast because of the reflection of the initial waves from Roberts Bank. Additional numerical experiments were conducted for both regions to estimate the sensitivity of the computed tsunami wave heights to input parameters, such as slide viscosity, bulk density, and slide position.