Run-up, inundation, and sediment characteristics of the 22 December 2018 Sunda Strait tsunami, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. A tsunami caused by a flank collapse of the southwest part of the Anak Krakatau volcano occurred on 22 December 2018. The tsunami affected the coastal areas located at the edge of the Sunda Strait, Indonesia. To gain an understanding of the tsunami event, field surveys were conducted a month after the incident. The surveys included measurements of run-up height, inundation distance, tsunami direction, and sediment characteristics at 20 selected sites. The survey results revealed that the run-up height reached 9.2 m in Tanjungjaya and an inundation distance of 286.8 m was found at Cagar Alam, part of Ujung Kulon National Park. The tsunami propagated radially from Anak Krakatau and reached the coastal zone with a direction between 25 and 350∘ from the north. Sediment samples were collected at 27 points in tsunami deposits with a sediment thickness of 1.5–12.7 cm. The average distance from the coast of the area with significant sediment deposits and the deposit limit are 45 % and 73 % of the inundation distance, respectively. Sand sheets were sporadic, highly variable, and highly influenced by topography. Grain sizes in the deposit area were finer than those at their sources. The sizes ranged from fine sand to boulders, with medium sand and coarse sand being dominant. All sediment samples had a well-sorted distribution. An assessment of the boulder movements indicates that the tsunami run-up had minimum velocities of 4.0–4.5 m s−1.