Correlation between coastal geomorphology and tsunami inundation along the coast of Kanyakumari, India

An investigation has been carried out in the vicinity of the coastal villages of Kanyakumari District, India to decode the influence of coastal geomorphology on inundation degree and run-up level. Even though the tsunami waves approach the study area in different patterns, the consequences are found to be mainly dependent upon the coastal configuration and local geographic setting, the study area are considered to be of three types based upon the geomorphic arrangement, namely shallow coast, elevated coast and estuarine coast. The inundation and run-up level vary from coast to coast even though there is no remarkable variation in the intensity of the approaching tsunami surge. The inundation extent ranges from to 54 m to 413 m with maximum along estuarine coast and minimum along elevated coast. Estuarine coast recorded the maximum run-up level of about 6 m and the minimum of about 1 m along the elevated coast. The percentage of inundated area in the total coastal area varies between 19% to 10% along estuarine coast and elevated coast respectively. Inundation and run-up level cannot be appreciable in the inland along the elevated coast. The beaches of elevated coast are less affected whereas those of estuarine coast are highly affected. Inundation is limited in the elevated beaches along the study area.