Origins of the Tsunami Following the 2023 Turkey–Syria Earthquake

Abstract

AbstractOn 6 February 2023, a local tsunami was recorded in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea following the Mw 7.7 Turkey–Syria inland strike‐slip earthquake. Due to the lack of underwater observation, the tsunami generation mechanism remains mysterious. To understand the source mechanisms, we analyzed the tsunami waveforms of four nearby tide gauges and located possible sources using a backward tsunami ray tracing approach. We then conducted forward numerical modelings for a range of possible source parameters. We show that there were probably two tsunami sources, inside and outside Iskenderun Bay, which may be related to thick coastal sediments. A source inside the Bay with a characteristic length of 7 km produced dominant periods of 10–30 min with negative initial motion, possibly generated by a landslide. Another source of 6 km length outside the Bay produced dominant periods of 2–10 min with positive initial motions, possibly related with liquefaction.