Introduction to “Historical and Recent Catastrophic Tsunamis in the World: Volume II. Tsunamis from 1755 to 2010”

Abstract

Abstract-Eighteen papers on past and recent destructive tsunamis are included in Volume II of the PAGEOPH topical issue ''Historical and Recent Catastrophic Tsunamis in the World.'' Three papers discuss deep-sea (DART) and coastal tsunami observations, warning systems and risk management in the Pacific Ocean. Four papers examine the 1755 Lisbon, 1964 Alaska, 2003 Algeria, and 2011 Haiti tsunamis. Four more papers, as well as some papers in Volume I, report on various aspects of the 2010 Chile tsunami. Two papers present some results of field survey and modelling investigation of the 2010 Mentawai, Indonesia, tsunami. Three papers report on modelling efforts of tsunami generation by earthquake and landslide, and of tsunami propagation. Finally, two papers discuss hazard assessment using a probabilistic approach.

Safety goals for seismic and tsunami risks: Lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi disaster

“…For instance, off the Iwate Prefecture several gigantic tsunami's occurred such as in 869 ad (Jogan tunami), 1611 (Sanriku-Oki in Keicho era), 1896 (Sanriku-Oki, M w = 8?) and 1933 (Sanriku-Oki, M w = 8.4) (Satake et al, 2013). The intervals between these tsunamis were not uniform.…”

Geo-hazards of the San Vito peninsula offshore (southwestern Tyrrhenian Sea)

“…Over the past decades, marine geological risks have received increasing attention from the international scientific community following both the occurrence of natural catastrophic events (e.g. the 2004 Indian Ocean and 2011 Japan tsunamis; Brink et al, 2009;Rabinovich et al, 2015;Satake et al, 2007Satake et al, , 2013 and the intensification of anthropic activities in offshore areas, which necessarily have to deal with the geological hazards occurring in these areas.…”

Scenario-based numerical modelling and the palaeo-historic record of tsunamis in Wallis and Futuna, Southwest Pacific

“…Awareness of the potential disastrous consequences of tsunamis for coastal regions has been exacerbated over the last 10 years with events in Sumatra (2004), Tonga-Samoa (2009) and Japan (2011), to name only three of the most significant (Løvholt et al, 2012;Sahal et al, 2010;Satake et al, 2013). These events have emphasised the deficiency in our understanding of tsunami processes and their impact on local communities and has sparked an increase in tsunami-related research.…”