Landslide Tsunamis: Recent Findings and Research Directions

Bardet, Jean Pierre; Synolakis, Costas E.; Davies, H. L.; Imamura, Fumihiko; Okal, Emile A.

doi:10.1007/s00024-003-2406-0

Cited by 104 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…Many historical slide generated tsunamis are now well understood [Bugge et al, 1988;Bryn et al, 2005;Harbitz, 1992;Bondevik et al, 2005;Heezen and Ewing, 1952;Fine et al, 2005;Bardet et al, 2003]. In particular, the destruction caused by the 1998 Papua New Guinea (PNG) tsunami [Bardet et al, 2003;Tappin et al, 2008] has lead to an increasing awareness of the hazard posed by landslide generated tsunamis. Landslides originating from volcanoes may also generate destructive tsunamis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oceanic propagation of a potential tsunami from the La Palma Island

Løvholt¹,

Pedersen²,

Gisler³

2008

J. Geophys. Res.

173

183

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[1] The likelihood of a large scale tsunami from the La Palma Island is considered small by most. Nevertheless, the potential catastrophic consequences call for attention. Here we report on numerical simulations of a tsunami that might result from the extreme case of a flank collapse of the Cumbre Vieja volcano at the La Palma Island, done by combining a multimaterial model for the wave generation with Boussinesq models for the far-field propagation. Our simulations show that the slide speed is close to critical, effectively generating an initial wave of several hundred meters height. Our main focus is the wave propagation which is genuinely dispersive. In the far-field, propagation becomes increasingly complex due to the combined effects of dispersion, refraction, and interference in the direction of propagation. Constructive interference of the trailing waves are found to decrease the decay of the maximum amplitude with distance compared to classical asymptotic theory at transatlantic distances. Thus, the commonly used hydrostatic models fail to describe the propagation. Consequences of the La Palma scenario would be largest at the Canary Islands, but our findings also suggests that the whole central Atlantic would face grave consequences. However, the largest surface elevations are smaller than the most pessimistic reports found in literature. We also find undular bores towards the shorelines of America.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oceanic propagation of a potential tsunami from the La Palma Island

Løvholt¹,

Pedersen²,

Gisler³

2008

J. Geophys. Res.

173

183

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“…Ward, 2001;Bardet et al, 2003). There was limited appreciation that the magnitude of tsunamis generated by SMFs was dependent upon the mode of failure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The event was the subject of special workshops, as well as numerous sessions at international scientific meetings (e.g. Hebenstreit, 2001;Bardet et al, 2003;Tappin, 2004). The far field tsunami was probably caused by the earthquake, but for many scientists an earthquake source for the local tsunami is still considered a likely alternative or, at the very least, a contributory factor (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Papua New Guinea tsunami of 17 July 1998: anatomy of a catastrophic event

Tappin

Watts²,

Grilli

2008

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

247

150

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Abstract. The Papua New Guinea (PNG) tsunami of July 1998 was a seminal event because it demonstrated that relatively small and relatively deepwater Submarine Mass Failures (SMFs) can cause devastating local tsunamis that strike without warning. There is a comprehensive data set that proves this event was caused by a submarine slump. Yet, the source of the tsunami has remained controversial. This controversy is attributed to several causes. Before the PNG event, it was questionable as to whether SMFs could cause devastating tsunamis. As a result, only limited modelling of SMFs as tsunami sources had been undertaken, and these excluded slumps. The results of these models were that SMFs in general were not considered to be a potential source of catastrophic tsunamis. To effectively model a SMF requires fairly detailed geological data, and these too had been lacking. In addition, qualitative data, such as evidence from survivors, tended to be disregarded in assessing alternative tsunami sources. The use of marine geological data to identify areas of recent submarine failure was not widely applied.The disastrous loss of life caused by the PNG tsunami resulted in a major investigation into the area offshore of the devastated coastline, with five marine expeditions taking place. This was the first time that a focussed, large-scale, international programme of marine surveying had taken place so soon after a major tsunami. It was also the first time that such a comprehensive data set became the basis for tsunami simulations. The use of marine mapping subsequently led to a larger involvement of marine geologists in the study of tsunamis, expanding the knowledge base of those studying the threat from SMF hazards. This paper provides an overview of the PNG tsunami and its impact on tsunami science. It presents revised interpretations of the slump arCorrespondence to: D. R. Tappin (drta@bgs.ac.uk) chitecture based on new seabed relief images and, using these, the most comprehensive tsunami simulation of the PNG event to date. Simulation results explain the measured runups to a high degree. The PNG tsunami has made a major impact on tsunami science. It is one of the most studied SMF tsunamis, yet it remains the only one known of its type: a slump.

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“…Large hazards posed by landslidegenerated waves have attracted the attention of the scientific community in recent years (e.g., Synolakis et al, 2002Bardet et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%