Abstract
Abstract. The North Anatolian Fault in the northern Aegean Sea triggers frequent earthquakes of magnitudes up to Mw∼7. This seismicity can be a source of modest tsunamis for the surrounding coastlines with less than 50 cm height according to numerical modelling and analysis of tsunami deposits. However, other tsunami sources may be involved, like submarine landslides. We assess the severity of this potential hazard by performing numerical simulations of tsunami generation and propagation from a Holocene landslide (1.85 km3 in volume) identified off Thasos. We use a model coupling the simulation of the submarine landslide, assimilated to a granular flow, to the propagation of the tsunami wave. The results of these simulations show that a tsunami wave of water height between 1.10 and 1.65 m reaches the coastline at Alexandroupoli (58 000 inhabitants) 1 h after the triggering of the landslide. In the same way, tsunami waves of water height between 0.80 and 2.00 m reach the coastline of the Athos peninsula 9 min after the triggering of the landslide. Despite numerous earthquakes of Mw>7 and strong detrital input (on the order of 30 cm ka−1), only a few Holocene landslides have been recognized so far, asking for tsunami recurrence in this area.
Highlights
Tsunamis constitute a major natural hazard for coastal populations and infrastructure
√ locity of tsunami waves is expressed by c = gh at long periods, where h is the bathymetry and g is the gravitational acceleration
In the wake of the 1998 Sissano event, numerous studies investigated the distribution of submarine landslides along continental slopes, islands and bathymetric highs, as well as the tsunamigenic potential (Canals et al, 2004; Masson et al, 2006; McAdoo et al, 2000; Chaytor et al, 2009; Twichell et al, 2009; Mulder et al, 2009; Tappin, 2010; Iacono et al, 2014; Urgeles and Camerlenghi, 2013; Macías et al, 2015; Palomino et al, 2016; Rodriguez et al, 2012; Rodriguez et al, 2013, 2017; Katz et al, 2015)
Summary
Tsunamis constitute a major natural hazard for coastal populations and infrastructure. In the wake of the 1998 Sissano event, numerous studies investigated the distribution of submarine landslides along continental slopes, islands and bathymetric highs, as well as the tsunamigenic potential (Canals et al, 2004; Masson et al, 2006; McAdoo et al, 2000; Chaytor et al, 2009; Twichell et al, 2009; Mulder et al, 2009; Tappin, 2010; Iacono et al, 2014; Urgeles and Camerlenghi, 2013; Macías et al, 2015; Palomino et al, 2016; Rodriguez et al, 2012; Rodriguez et al, 2013, 2017; Katz et al, 2015).
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