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Modeling the large runup along a narrow segment of the Kaikoura coast, New Zealand following the November 2016 tsunami from a potential landslide
Appendix A. Supplementary data:
The following is the Supplementary data to this article: Download Word document (https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0029801818318286-mmc1.docx - 3MB).Copyright © 2019 The Authors. The 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikoura earthquake and consequent tsunami have been controversial because of uncertainty over whether and where the plate interface ruptured and the incapability of the proposed source models to reproduce the near-field runup of 7 m. Existing models identify a wide range of locations for the interface rupture, from on land to offshore, and fail to reproduce runup of 7 m near Kaikoura. To generate the large tsunami peak in Kaikoura tide gauge record and the observed runup height, offshore seafloor movement is necessary, but the offshore extension of the plate-interface rupture and its type, either seismic rupture or a landslide, is uncertain. Here, we propose a submarine landslide in addition to the earthquake source, with the landslide delayed 10–20 min after the earthquake rupture. The landslide volume is 4.5–5.2 km3, located within 173.7–174.3oE (longitude) and 42.6–42.15oS (latitude). Our proposed dual tsunami source successfully reproduces near-field tide gauge records as well as observed near-field runup height of 7 m. We showed that more accurate source models of earthquakes can be achieved by considering observed runup data through runup inversions in addition to waveform inversions.Brunel Research Initiative and Enterprise Fund 2017/18 (BUL BRIEF) at Brunel University Londo
Remote sensing for natural or man-made disasters and environmental changes
Natural and man-made disasters have become an issue of growing concern throughout the world. The frequency and magnitude of disasters threatening large populations living in diverse environments, is rapidly increasing in recent years across the world due to demographic growth, inducing to urban sprawls into hazardous areas. These disasters also have far-reaching implications on sustainable development through social, economic and environmental impact. This chapter summarises three scientific contributions from relevant experiences of the British Geological Survey and the Federico II University of Naples, where remote sensing sensors have been playing a crucial role to potentially support disaster management studies in areas affected by natural hazards. The three cases are: the landslide inventory map of St. Lucia island, tsunami-induced damage along the Sendai coast (Japan) and the landslide geotechnical characterization in Papanice (Italy). For each case study we report the main issue, datasets available and results achieved. Finally, we analyse how recent developments and improved satellite and sensor technologies can support in overcoming the current limitations of using remotely sensed data in disaster management so to fully utilize the capabilities of remote sensing in disaster management and strength cooperation and collaboration between relevant stakeholders including end users
A simple and efficient GIS tool for volume calculations of submarine landslides
A numeric tool is presented for calculating volumes of topographic voids such as slump scars of landslides, canyons or craters (negative/concave morphology), or alternatively, bumps and hills (positive/convex morphology) by means of digital elevation models embedded within a geographical information system (GIS). In this study, it has been used to calculate landslide volumes. The basic idea is that a (singular) event (landslide, meteorite impact, volcanic eruption) has disturbed an intact surface such that it is still possible to distinguish between the former (undisturbed) landscape and the disturbance (crater, slide scar, debris avalanche). In such cases, it is possible to reconstruct the paleo-surface and to calculate the volume difference between both surfaces, thereby approximating the volume gain or loss caused by the event. I tested the approach using synthetically generated land surfaces that were created on the basis of Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data. Also, I show the application to two real cases, (1) the calculation of the volume of the Masaya Slide, a submarine landslide on the Pacific continental slope of Nicaragua, and (2) the calculation of the void of a segment of the Fish River Canyon, Namibia. The tool is provided as a script file for the free GIS GRASS. It performs with little effort, and offers a range of interpolation parameters. Testing with different sets of interpolation parameters results in a small range of uncertainty. This tool should prove useful in surface studies not exclusively on earth
Submarine landslide megablocks show half of Anak Krakatau island failed on December 22nd, 2018
As demonstrated at Anak Krakatau on December 22nd, 2018, tsunamis generated by volcanic flank collapse are incompletely understood and can be devastating. Here, we present the first high-resolution characterisation of both subaerial and submarine components of the collapse. Combined Synthetic Aperture Radar data and aerial photographs reveal an extensive subaerial failure that bounds pre-event deformation and volcanic products. To the southwest of the volcano, bathymetric and seismic reflection data reveal a blocky landslide deposit (0.214 ± 0.036 km3) emplaced over 1.5 km into the adjacent basin. Our findings are consistent with en-masse lateral collapse with a volume ≥0.175 km3, resolving several ambiguities in previous reconstructions. Post-collapse eruptions produced an additional ~0.3 km3 of tephra, burying the scar and landslide deposit. The event provides a model for lateral collapse scenarios at other arc-volcanic islands showing that rapid island growth can lead to large-scale failure and that even faster rebuilding can obscure pre-existing collapse
Insights on the source of the 28 September 2018 Sulawesi tsunami, Indonesia based on spectral analyses and numerical simulations
The 28 September 2018 Sulawesi tsunami has been a puzzle because extreme deadly tsunami waves were generated
following an Mw 7.5 strike-slip earthquake, while such earthquakes
are not usually considered to produce large tsunamis. Here, we
obtained, processed and analyzed two sea level records of the
tsunami in the near-field (Pantoloan located inside the Palu Bay)
and far-field (Mamuju located outside the Palu Bay) and conducted
numerical simulations to shed light on the tsunami source. The two
tide gauges recorded maximum tsunami trough-to-crest heights of
380 and 24 cm, respectively, with respective dominating wave
periods of 3.6-4.4 and 10 min, and respective high-energy wave
duration of 5.5 and [14 h. The two observed waveforms were
significantly different with wave amplitude and period ratios of
*16 and *3, respectively. We infer tsunamigenic source dimen19
sions of 3.4–4.1 km and 32.5 km, for inside and outside of the Palu
Bay, respectively. Our numerical simulations fairly well repro21
duced both tsunami observations in Pantoloan and Mamuju; except
for the arrival time in Mamuju. However, it was incapable of
reproducing the maximum reported coastal amplitudes of 6–11 m.
It is possible that these two sources are different parts of the same tectonic source. A bay oscillation mode of *85 min was revealed
for the Palu Bay through numerical modeling. Actual sea surface disturbances and landslide-generated waves were captured by two
video recordings from inside the Palu Bay shortly after the earthquake. It is possible that a large submarine landslide contributed to
and intensified the Sulawesi tsunami. We identify the southern part of the Palu Bay, around the latitude of -0.82o
S, as the most likely location of a potential landslide based on our backward tsunami ray tracing analysis. However, marine geological data from the Palu Bay are required to confirm such hypothesis
Large-scale mass wasting in the western Indian Ocean constrains onset of East African rifting
Faulting and earthquakes occur extensively along the flanks of the East African Rift System, including an offshore branch in the western Indian Ocean, resulting in remobilization of sediment in the form of landslides. To date, constraints on the occurrence of submarine landslides at margin scale are lacking, leaving unanswered a link between rifting and slope instability. Here, we show the first overview of landslide deposits in the post-Eocene stratigraphy of the Tanzania margin and we present the discovery of one of the biggest landslides on Earth: the Mafia mega-slide. The emplacement of multiple landslides, including the Mafia mega-slide, during the early-mid Miocene is coeval with cratonic rifting in Tanzania, indicating that plateau uplift and rifting in East Africa triggered large and potentially tsunamigenic landslides likely through earthquake activity and enhanced sediment supply. This study is a first step to evaluate the risk associated with submarine landslides in the region
Mass wasting processes : offshore Sumatra
Earthquakes are a commonly cited mechanism for triggering submarine landslides that have the potential to generate locally damaging tsunamis. With measured runups of over 35 metres in northern Sumatra from the December 26th 2004 tsunami source, these runups might be expected to be due, in part, to local submarine landslides. Mapping of the convergent margin offshore of Sumatra using swath bathymetry, single channel seismic and seabed photography reveals that seabed failures are common, but mainly small-scale, and composed of blocky debris avalanches and sediment flows. These failures would have contributed little to local tsunami runups. Large landslides are usually formed where there is significant sediment input. In the instance of Sumatra, most sediment is derived from the oceanic plate, and there is little sediment entering the system from the adjacent land areas. Input from the oceanic source is limited because of the diversion of sediment entering the subduction system off of Sumatra, that is attributed to collision between the Ninetyeast ridge and the Sunda Trench at approximately 1.5 million years ago
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