Tsunami Hazard Along the Eastern African Coast from Mega-Earthquake Sources in the Indian Ocean

Amir Salaree*, Emile A. Okal

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

The catastrophic 2004 Indonesian tsunami reached the shores of Eastern Africa, where it affected at least 12 countries and caused several hundred casualties, principally in Somalia. Significant variations in run-up were documented by various post-tsunami surveys (note that the latter remain incomplete, especially in Southern Tanzania and Mozambique). In a previous study, Okal et al. (Okal et al. South Afr. J. Geol. 112:343–358, 2009) it has been suggested that these variations could depend on the precise location of the tsunami sources, as a result of the combined effect of source directivity and refraction by irregular bathymetry. In this context, we present the results of a significantly enhanced study, which considers a total of twelve potential sites of mega-earthquakes, along both the Sunda Arc, and the Makran subduction zone. Numerical simulations are carried out at a total of 25 virtual gauges, spanning the East African coast from Socotra in the north to Port Elizabeth in the south, as well as adjoining islands (Madagascar, Comoros, Mascarenes). In particular, we identify locations where the 2004 tsunami (which to a large extent awakened the awareness of the continent to tsunami danger) may not have represented the worst-case scenario.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAdvances in Geophysics, Tectonics and Petroleum Geosciences - Proceedings of the 2nd Springer Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences CAJG-2, Tunisia 2019
EditorsMustapha Meghraoui, Narasimman Sundararajan, Santanu Banerjee, Klaus-G. Hinzen, Mehdi Eshagh, François Roure, Helder I. Chaminé, Said Maouche, André Michard
PublisherSpringer Nature
Pages3-5
Number of pages3
ISBN (Print)9783030730253
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Event2nd Springer Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences, CAJG-2 2019 - Sousse, Tunisia
Duration: Nov 25 2019Nov 28 2019

Publication series

NameAdvances in Science, Technology and Innovation
ISSN (Print)2522-8714
ISSN (Electronic)2522-8722

Conference

Conference2nd Springer Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences, CAJG-2 2019
Country/TerritoryTunisia
CitySousse
Period11/25/1911/28/19

Keywords

  • Earthquake
  • Eastern Africa
  • Indian Ocean
  • Tsunami

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Architecture
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Environmental Chemistry

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