Propagating tsunami wave and subsequent resonant response signals detected by HF radar in the Kii Channel,Japan

Signals from the tsunami waves induced by the March 11, 2011 moment magnitude (M_w) 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake and from subsequent resonances were detected as radial velocity variability by a high-frequency ocean surface radar (HF radar) installed on the eastern coast of the Kii Channel, at a range of about 1000 km from the epicenter along the eastern to southern coasts of Honshu Island. A time–distance diagram of band-passed (9–200 min) radial velocity along the beam reveals that the tsunami waves propagated from the continental shelf slope to the inner channel as progressive waves for the first three waves, and then natural oscillations were excited by the waves; and that the direction of the tsunami wave propagation and the axis of the natural oscillations differed from that of the radar beam. In addition, spectral analyses of the radial velocities and sea surface heights obtained in the channel and on the continental shelf slope suggest complex natural oscillation modes excited by the tsunami waves.     

Sapphirine-bearing orthopyroxene-kyanite/sillimanite granulites from South Harris, NW Scotland: evidence for Proterozoic UHT metamorphism in the Lewisian

Sapphirine-bearing orthopyroxene-kyanite (Opx-Ky) and -sillimanite (Opx-Sil) granulites have been found in the Lewisian complex of South Harris in northwest Scotland. In the Opx-Ky granulites, orthopyroxene and kyanite are intergrown in a stable mineral assemblage, which indicates metamorphic condition at 800–900 °C >12 kbar. Sillimanite inclusions within orthopyroxene suggest that sillimanite formed earlier; conditions are estimated at 950 ± 30 °C at 10 kbar from orthopyroxene isopleths for aluminous orthopyroxene (<9.7 wt%). In the Opx-Sil granulite, the orthopyroxene + sillimanite + garnet + sapphirine assemblage is stable at the peak metamorphic stages, indicating P-T condition of 930–950 °C, >8 kbar according to the FMAS petrogenetic grid, and similar conditions were obtained by using orthopyroxene-garnet geothermobarometers. The two types of orthopyroxene-aluminosilicate granulites indicate that the peak metamorphic conditions were over 900 °C, compatible with ultra-high temperature metamorphism. As accessory sapphirine occurs in several assemblages and with different compositions; it is interpreted to be formed at different stages of the metamorphism. These granulites were formed during Early Proterozoic high-grade metamorphism due to the emplacement of the South Harris Igneous Complex at c. 2170–1870 Ma, and are not related to the major metamorphic episode of the Badcallian/Inverian metamorphism at c. 2700–2500 Ma in the mainland Lewisian. Received: 17 July 1998 / Accepted 8 March 1999     

The spatial impact of the relocation of a section of the Zaria-Kano road: a study of change and development in rural Zaria

The exact role of the transport sector in the development process is still a subject of controversy. Most studies have involved a narrow cost-benefit analysis done on the basis of road usage. However, a better understanding of the complex forces engendered by the introduction of roads into an area, or their improvement, can only be found on both macro- and micro-analytical levels.This study examines the effect of road improvement on its immediate locality. It focuses specifically on the short-term impact of road relocation within the rural area in relation to the following questions: what happens when a trunk road is opened through a hitherto isolated rural area? What happens when there is a permanent diversion of traffic on a transport route, especially with reference to human settlements, socioeconomic activities and community welfare?The study reveals that a locational change of transport route immediately created two distinct zones. The first was a zone of decaying or contracting opportunities along the old route, and then a zone of expanding opportunities along the new route. The implication of this is that the benefits of improved transport routes on the immediate locality may not necessarily be beneficial to all residents.     

Observations of Tsunami Impact on the Coast of Kerala,India

The tsunami generated by the December 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake had a devastating effect on some parts of Kerala coast, which is a coast located in southwest India. Results of post-tsunami field surveys carried out to understand the changes in coastal morphology and sediment characteristics in the worst affected Kayamkulam region of Kerala coast are documented in this study. Analysis of offshore bathymetric data indicates the shifting of depth contours towards shore, indicating erosion of sediments and deepening of innershelf due to the tsunami. Depth measurement along the backwater (T-S canal) in the hinterland region indicates siltation due to the inundation of the canal.     

Numerical modelling of coastal inundation from Cascadia Subduction Zone tsunamis and implications for coastal communities on western Vancouver Island,Canada

Natural Hazards - In the present study, numerical simulations were conducted to estimate the spatio-temporal characteristics of tsunami inundation for municipalities on Vancouver Island, Canada, as...     

The Effect of the Great Barrier Reef on the Propagation of the 2007 Solomon Islands Tsunami Recorded in Northeastern Australia

The effect of offshore coral reefs on the impact from a tsunami remains controversial. For example, field surveys after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami indicate that the energy of the tsunami was reduced by natural coral reef barriers in Sri Lanka, but there was no indication that coral reefs off Banda Aceh, Indonesia had any effect on the tsunami. In this paper, we investigate whether the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) offshore Queensland, Australia, may have weakened the tsunami impact from the 2007 Solomon Islands earthquake. The fault slip distribution of the 2007 Solomon Islands earthquake was firstly obtained by teleseismic inversion. The tsunami was then propagated to shallow water just offshore the coast by solving the linear shallow water equations using a staggered grid finite-difference method. We used a relatively high resolution (approximately 250 m) bathymetric grid for the region just off the coast containing the reef. The tsunami waveforms recorded at tide gauge stations along the Australian coast were then compared to the results from the tsunami simulation when using both the realistic 250 m resolution bathymetry and with two grids having fictitious bathymetry: One in which the the GBR has been replaced by a smooth interpolation from depths outside the GBR to the coast (the “No GBR” grid), and one in which the GBR has been replaced by a flat plane at a depth equal to the mean water depth of the GBR (the “Average GBR” grid). From the comparison between the synthetic waveforms both with and without the Great Barrier Reef, we found that the Great Barrier Reef significantly weakened the tsunami impact. According to our model, the coral reefs delayed the tsunami arrival time by 5–10 minutes, decreased the amplitude of the first tsunami pulse to half or less, and lengthened the period of the tsunami.     

Coastal flooding due to synoptic scale,meso-scale and remote forcings

Coastal flooding occurs due to storm surges generated by tropical and extra-tropical cyclones on the globe. The meteorological forcing fields for the generation of storm surges are the tangential surface wind stress on the ocean surface and the normal atmospheric pressure gradients associated with the weather systems. The large scale forcing from the cyclones is referred to as the synoptic scale and storm surge prediction from synoptic scale forcing is well developed and is reasonably satisfactory around the world. However, coastal flooding also occurs from weather systems, with forcing on a meso-scale and also from remote forcing. It is proposed here that the term “Storm surge” be used to only refer to coastal flooding from synoptic scale forcing and the terminology “Rissaga” be used for coastal flooding from meso-scale forcing. For flooding due to remote forcing, a new term “Kallakkadal” is proposed.     

An overview of electrical conductivity structures of the crust and upper mantle beneath the northwestern Pacific, the Japanese Islands, and continental East Asia

This article reviews the electrical conductivity structures of the oceanic upper mantle, subduction zones, and the mantle transition zone beneath the northwestern Pacific, the Japanese Islands, and continental East Asia, which have particularly large potential of water circulation in the global upper mantle. The oceanic upper mantle consists of an electrically resistive lid and a conductive layer underlying the lid. The depth of the top of the conductive layer is related to lithospheric cooling in the older mantle, whereas it is attributable to the difference in water distribution beneath the vicinity of the seafloor spreading-axis. The location of a lower crustal conductor in a subduction zone changes according to the subduction type. The difference can be explained by the characteristic dehydration from the subducting slab in each subduction zone and by advection from the backarc spreading. The latest one-dimensional electrical conductivity model of the mantle transition zone beneath the Pacific Ocean predicts values of 0.1–1.0 S/m. These values support a considerably dry oceanic mantle transition zone. However, one-dimensional electrical profiles may not be representative of the mantle transition zone there, since there exists a three-dimensional structure caused by the stagnant slab. Three-dimensional electromagnetic modeling should be made in future studies.     

Observations of Tsunami Impact on the Coast of Kerala, India

The tsunami generated by the December 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake had a devastating effect on some parts of Kerala coast, which is a coast located in southwest India. Results of post-tsunami field surveys carried out to understand the changes in coastal morphology and sediment characteristics in the worst affected Kayamkulam region of Kerala coast are documented in this study. Analysis of offshore bathymetric data indicates the shifting of depth contours towards shore, indicating erosion of sediments and deepening of innershelf due to the tsunami. Depth measurement along the backwater (T-S canal) in the hinterland region indicates siltation due to the inundation of the canal.