Atmospheric Pressure Variations Induced by the Tohoku Earthquake

Doklady Earth Sciences - The response of atmospheric pressure to the Tohoku earthquake on February 11, 2011 (magnitude M ~ 9), is analyzed using the results of instrumental observations made at the...     

Formation of Oscillations with an 11-Hour Period after the Tohoku Earthquake

Doklady Earth Sciences - Records of 68 identical broadband seismic stations of different world regions were studied after the catastrophic Tohoku earthquake on March 11, 2011. The oscillations with...     

Field Survey of the 1996 Irian Jaya Earthquake Tsunami in Biak Island

Runup data in Biak Island and itsnearby islets are described with discussions oftsunami magnitude and a few characteristics such aswitnessed arrival times, wave periods and wavenumbers. From an engineering viewpoint, a relationbetween inundation depth and current velocity on landis also described with relations between inundationdepth and degree of damage to houses and between sanderosion depth and current velocity in backshoreregion, based on data collected from the present andpast tsunamis.     

Tsunami evacuation behavior of coastal residents in Kochi Prefecture during the 2014 Iyonada Earthquake

The 2014 Iyonada Earthquake, which occurred at 02:06 JST on 14 March, measured 6.2 on the Richter scale and originated in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. To elucidate tsunami evacuation behavior, we examined two coastal communities in Kochi Prefecture, Okitsu and Mangyo, where residents evacuated to high ground in anticipation of a tsunami. In the event of a Nankai megathrust earthquake and tsunami, it is expected that a huge tsunami will be generated and these communities will be severely damaged. Before the Iyonada Earthquake, we had previously collected data about tsunami preparedness and evacuation plans from the residents of these communities, and after the earthquake, we conducted in-depth interviews and questionnaire surveys with the residents regarding the actual evacuation behaviors that they took. This enabled us to compare evacuation plans with evacuation behaviors. Results indicate that many residents responded quickly to the earthquake, either by immediately evacuating to emergency shelters on high ground or by preparing themselves for evacuation. Additionally, the earthquake revealed great differences between the prior evacuation plans and the actual situation of residents’ evacuation, such as specific triggers that significantly led residents to evacuate and the use of vehicles in evacuation.     

海啸和海啸沉积

综述海啸沉积特征,认为岸上细粒海啸沉积物具有以下特点:（1）地层层序上向上变细、减薄;（2）水流方向的重复反向（即重复的双向水流）;（3）含有撕裂的碎屑;（4）较差的分选性;（5）向陆地延伸更远;但将以上任何单一特征看成是海啸沉积的特征性依据都是不恰当的,需要将以上特征结合起来判断,才能作为海啸沉积的依据。而有关岸上巨砾的海啸或是风暴来源,至今仍争论不清,但较一致认为巨砾堤坝复合体是风暴成因。浅水碎屑海啸岩通常为夹在低能稳定状态的背景沉积粉砂—黏土层内的一套独特砂层,可以根据海啸能量的增加到衰减分为Tna—Tnd四个不同单元;而地震海啸岩通常具有震积岩—海啸岩的沉积序列;碳酸盐海啸岩则显示了与海啸入射流和回流相关的冲刷—充填结构。深海的海啸沉积作用机制仍然不清。尽管海啸传播阶段可以产生地中海A型均质岩,但深海海啸岩可能主要与海啸回流有关,如目前讨论最多的K—T撞击海啸岩。尽管目前的研究促进了对海啸的认识,但存在诸如海啸沉积机制仍然不明确,海啸沉积识别依然困难等许多问题,海啸沉积学的进一步发展将为解决这些问题提供坚实基础。     

Characteristics of Tsunamis Propagating over Oceanic Ridges: Numerical Simulation of the 1996 Irian Jaya Earthquake Tsunami

The 1996 Irian Jaya earthquake tsunami was simulated by using the numerical model based on the linear long wave theory including Coriolis force in the spherical coordinate system. The numerical modeling result at Chichijima is in good agreement with the observed tide gauge data. The distinctive oscillation at Chichijima can be interpreted as the formation of boundary waves, so called ridge waves that are excited on the South-Honshu ridge. The mechanism of tsunami propagation trapped on an oceanic ridge is analyzed with the simple ridge model. The result explains the characteristics of ridge waves excited on theSouth-Honshu ridge.     

Tsunami bore runup

Nearshore behaviors of tsunamis, specifically those formed as a single uniform bore, are investigated experimentally in a laboratory environment. The transition process from tsunami bore to runup is described by the momentum exchange process between the bore and the small wedge-shaped water body along the shore: the bore front itself does not reach the shoreline directly, but the large bore mass pushes the small, initially quiescent water in front of it. The fluid motions near the runup water line appear to be complex. The complex flow pattern must be caused by irregularities involved in the driving bore and turbulence advected into the runup flow. Those experimental results suggest that the tsunami actions at the shoreline involve significant mean kinetic energy together with violent turbulence. Even though the behaviors of bore motion were found to be different from those predicted by the shallow-water wave theory, the maximum runup height appears to be predictable by the theory if the value of the initial runup velocity is modified (reduced). Besides the friction effect, this reduction of the initial runup velocity must be related to the transition process as well as the highly interacting three-dimensional runup motion.     

Seismotectonic Deformations Related to the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake at Different Stages of the Seismic Cycle,Based on Satellite Geodetic Observations

Doklady Earth Sciences - The data of multiannual satellite geodetic observations before, during, and after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake are interpreted on the basis of the keyboard model of the...     

Tsunami Hazard and Risk in Canada

Tsunamis have occurred in Canada due to earthquakes, landslides, and a large chemical explosion. The Pacific coast is at greatest risk from tsunamis because of the high incidence of earthquakes and landslides in that region. The most destructive historical tsunamis, however, have been in Atlantic Canada – one in 1917 in Halifax Harbour, which was triggered by a catastrophic explosion on a munitions ship, and another in 1929 in Newfoundland, caused by an earthquake-triggered landslide at the edge of the Grand Banks. The tsunami risk along Canada's Arctic coast and along the shores of the Great Lakes is low in comparison to that of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Public awareness of tsunami hazard and risk in Canada is low because destructive tsunamis are rare events.     

The 1996 Sulawesi Tsunami

On 1 January, 1996 at 16:05 p.m. local time, an earthquake of magnitude M = 7.8 struck the central part of Sulawesi Island (Indonesia). It was accompanied by tsunami waves 2–4 m high. Nine people were killed and 63 were injured. A tsunami survey was conducted by Indonesian and Russian specialists. The measured tsunami runup heights and eyewitness accounts are reported and discussed. Historical data on the Sulawesi Island tsunamis are analysed and tsunami risk prediction in the central part of Sulawesi Island carried out for the first time.     

Tsunami research in Korea

The tsunamis that have occurred in many places around the world over the past decades have taken a heavy toll on human lives and property. The eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula is not safe from tsunamis and has sustained tsunami damage in the past. The aim of this study is to review the past, present, and future of some aspects of tsunami research in Korea. A composite numerical model comprising propagation and inundation models is described. The paper also covers tsunami mitigation efforts in Korea, and a tsunami hazard map is developed and introduced.     

Classification of Tsunami and Evacuation Areas

On March 11, 2011, a large earthquake that occurred offshore the north-east coast of Japan generated a large tsunami which devastated extensive areas of the Tohoku coastline. Despite Japan being considered a country well prepared for these types of disasters, large casualties were recorded, with numerous discussions amongst the Japanese coastal engineering community ensuing. As a result, two different levels of tsunamis have been proposed and now recognized in Japan, depending on the frequency of such extreme events. The idea that hard measures can protect the lives of inhabitants of coastal areas has been abandoned, and these measures are only considered to be effective in protecting properties against the more frequent but lower magnitude events. Soft measures should always be used to protect against the loss of lives, and to this respect, the authors of the paper propose the introduction of a Classification of Evacuation Areas, to show which of these should be prioritized by residents as they seek to evacuate.     

Tsunami sediments and their foraminiferal assemblages

Tsunami hazard assessment begins with a compilation of past events that have affected a specific location. Given the inherent limitations of historical archives, the geological record has the potential to provide an independent dataset useful for establishing a richer, chronologically deeper time series of past events. Recent geological studies of tsunami are helping to improve our understanding of the nature and character of tsunami sediments. Wherever possible, geologists should be working to improve the research ‘tool kit’ available to identify past tsunami events. Marine foraminifera (single celled heterotrophic protists) have often been reported as present within tsunami-deposited sediments but in reality, little information about environmental conditions, and by analogy, the tsunami that deposited them, has been reported even though foraminifera have an enormous capacity to provide meaningful palaeo-environmental data. Here, we review what foraminifera are, describe their basic form and significance, summarise where they have been reported in tsunami sediments and identify what can be learnt from them. We review the gaps in our understanding and make recommendations to assist researchers who examine foraminiferal assemblages in order to enhance their use within tsunami geology.     

试用地球系统科学观解读2004年印度洋地震海啸

2004年印度洋地震海啸是本世纪初全球发生的最为惨重的自然灾害.这次地震海啸涉及地球的岩石圈、水圈、大气圈和生物圈,甚至还有地外星球和月球的作用,造成能量与物质之间的相互转化与传递,说明地球是一个完整的统一整体.因此,对地震海啸等自然灾害必须采用地球系统科学观进行分析和研究,找出彼此之间的相互关系、形成机制和演化规律,并用信息化、全球化和可持续发展的地球科学观来研究和防御地震海啸.     

Geophysical properties and seismotectonics of the Tohoku forearc region

We investigated the detailed three-dimensional (3-D) isotropic and anisotropic structures of the crust and upper mantle under the NE Japan forearc region using a large number of P and S wave arrival-time data from onshore and offshore earthquakes. The suboceanic earthquakes used in this study are well relocated using the sP depth phases. We also determined the 3-D distribution of Poisson’s ratio, crack density and saturation rate using the 3-D P and S wave velocity model obtained by this study. The relatively complex anisotropic structures in the megathrust zone may reflect the complex geological structures, lithological variations and fluids in the accretional prism under the forearc region. The tomographic images reflect strong lateral heterogeneities in the megathrust zone under the Tohoku forearc. Areas with low velocity, high Poisson’s ratio, high crack density and high saturation rate may be due to entrapment of fluid-filled, unsolidated sediments on the plate interface close to the Japan Trench. Most of the large megathrust earthquakes since 1900 (M ⩾ 6.0) and the large 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquakes (M 6.0–9.0) are located in areas with high velocity, high Poisson’s ratio, low crack density and high saturation rate, which may represent strongly-coupled asperities in the megathrust zone resulting from the subducted oceanic ridges and/or seamounts. In contrast, the areas with high Poisson’s ratio may indicate that the fluids have infiltrated into the strongly coupled patches. We think that the great Tohoku-oki earthquakes were caused by not only the stress concentration but also the in situ structural heterogeneities in the megathrust zone.