Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Tsunamis and Earthquakes in Coastal Environments pp 17–30Cite as

Imprints of the AD 1755 Tsunami in Algarve (South Portugal) Lowlands and Post-impact Recovery

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 880 Accesses

Part of the book series: Coastal Research Library ((COASTALRL,volume 14))

Abstract

The AD 1755 tsunami was the most devastating tsunami that affected Atlantic Europe in historical times. In this work we summarize its sedimentological signatures in lowlands (Martinhal, Barranco, Furnas, Boca do Rio, Salgados-Alcantarilha) of the Algarve coast that contrast in geologic and geomorphological settings and sediment abundance. We found remarkable similarities between tsunami deposits and the materials available for transport at the coast prior to the tsunami. A number of 2–4 m high and 30–70 m wide scarps (i.e. steep slopes in dunes resulting from erosion) are the only erosive geomorphic signature preserved in the study areas (Boca do Rio and Salgados-Alcantarilha). Recovery of the coastal system to pre-event conditions, inferred from the documentary records, is evaluated and analyzed in terms of sediment availability and supply, climate, hydrodynamic regime and geomorphic setting. Sediment-starved pocket beaches bypassed landward most of the sediment previously accumulated in the coastal system, failing to recover the pre-event morphology. Moreover, and solely in Martinhal, the abrupt morphological changes translated in increased and lasting permeability of the barrier and adjacent wetland to storms. The Alcantarilha-Salgados beach-dune system, in moderate sand supply, was extensively scarped but not fully overtopped. Here, recovery was partly achieved by destabilization of the remnant dune, formation and (limited) advance of parabolic dunes following the 1755 event. A schematic conceptual model is presented summarizing: the pre-event conditions; the depositional and geomorphological features directly related with the tsunami impact; and the post-event geomorphological adaptation. In the studied cases post-event recovery seems to be reduced mainly due to a conjugation of pre-event geomorphological setting and low sediment input.

The need to conduct further studies in the impacts of palaeotsunamis is evidenced here, especially because older events allow a large time window to observe post-tsunami adaptation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andrade C (1990) O ambiente de barreira da Ria Formosa (Algarve, Portugal). PhD dissertation. University of Lisbon, Portugal, 645 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrade C (1992) Tsunami generated forms in the Algarve barrier islands (South Portugal). Sci Tsunami Haz 10:21–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrade C, Andrade AM, Kortekaas S, Dawson A (1997) Sedimentological traces of tsunamigenic overwash of the Martinhal lowland (Western Algarve – Portugal). In: Proceedings Seminar Zona Costeira do Algarve, Faro, 10–12 July 1997, Eurocoast-Portugal, pp 11–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Atwater BF (1987) Evidence for great Holocene earthquakes along the Outer Coast of Washington State. Science 236:942–944

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atwater BF, Cisternas M, Yulianto E, Prendergast AL, Jankaew K, Eipert AA, Fernando WIS, Tejakusuma I, Schiappacasse I, Sawai Y (2013) The 1960 tsunami on beach-ridge plains near Maullín, Chile: landward descent, renewed breaches, aggraded fans, multiple predecessors. Andean Geol 40:393–418

    Google Scholar 

  • Atwater BF, Fuentes Z, Halley RB, Ten Brink US, Tuttle MP (2014) Effects of 2010 Hurricane Earl amidst geologic evidence for greater overwash at Anegada, British Virgin Islands. Adv Geosci 38:21–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bahlburg H, Spiske M (2011) Sedimentology of tsunami inflow and backflow deposits: key differences revealed in a modern example. Sedimentology 59:1063–1086

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baptista MA, Miranda JM (2009) Revision of the Portuguese catalog of tsunamis. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 9:25–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catalán PA, Cienfuegos R, Villagrán M (2014) Perspectives on the long-term equilibrium of a wave dominated coastal zone affected by tsunamis: the case of Central Chile. J Coast Res 71:55–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chagué-Goff C, Schneider JL, Goff JR, Dominey-Howes D, Strotz L (2011) Expanding the proxy toolkit to help identify past events – lessons from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the 2009 South Pacific Tsunami. Earth Sci Rev 107:107–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa PJM, Andrade C, Freitas MC, Oliveira MA, da Silva CM, Omira R, Taborda R, Baptista MA, Dawson AG (2011) Boulder deposition during major tsunami events. Earth Surf Process Landf 36:2054–2068

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa PJM, Andrade C, Freitas MC, Oliveira MA, Lopes V, Dawson AG, Moreno J, Fatela F, Jouanneau J-M (2012a) A tsunami record in the sedimentary archive of the central Algarve coast, Portugal: characterizing sediment, reconstructing sources and inundation paths. The Holocene 22(8):899–914

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa PJM, Andrade C, Dawson AG, Mahaney WC, Paris R, Freitas MC, Taborda R (2012b) Microtextural characteristics of quartz grains transported and deposited by tsunamis and storms. Sediment Geol 275–276:55–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson AG (1994) Geomorphological effects of tsunami run-up and backwash. Geomorphology 10:83–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson AG, Stewart I (2007) Tsunami deposits in the geological record. Sediment Geol 200:166–183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson AG, Long D, Smith DES (1988) The Storegga slides: evidence from eastern Scotland for a possible tsunami. Mar Geol 82:271–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson AG, Hindson R, Andrade C, Freitas C, Parish R, Bateman M (1995) Tsunami sedimentation associated with the Lisbon earthquake of 1 November AD 1755: Boca do Rio, Algarve, Portugal. The Holocene 5(2):209–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dinis J, Andrade C, Oliveira MA, Freitas MC, Cunha PP, Martins A, Costa P (2010) Geomorphological constraining of tsunami (?) run-up in the Alcantarilha coastal lowland (central Algarve, Portugal). In: Proceedings Iberian coastal holocene paleoenvironmental evolution ‘Coastal Hope 2010’, Lisbon, pp 40–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Goff JR (2008) The New Zealand Palaeotsunami database. NIWA technical report 131, ISSN 1174–2631, 24 pp + Appendix

    Google Scholar 

  • Goff J, Lane E, Arnold J (2009) The tsunami geomorphology of coastal dunes. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 9(3):847–854

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hindson RA, Andrade C (1999) Sedimentation and hydrodynamic processes associated with the tsunami generated by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Quat Int 56:27–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hindson RA, Andrade C, Dawson AG (1996) Sedimentary processes associated with the tsunami generated by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake on the Algarve coast, Portugal. Phys Chem Earth 21:57–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hindson R, Andrade C, Parish R (1999) A microfaunal and sedimentary record of environmental change within the late Holocene sediments of Boca do Rio (Algarve, Portugal). Geol Mijnb 77:311–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kain CL, Gomez C, Hart DE, Wassmer P, Goff J, Starheim C (2014) Assessing topographic controls on flow direction in washover deposits using measurements of magnetic fabric. Mar Geol 350:16–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kortekaas S (2002) Tsunamis, storms and earthquakes: distinguishing coastal flooding events. Coventry, PhD dissertation. Coventry University, United Kingdom, 171 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Kortekaas S, Dawson AG (2007) Distinguishing tsunami and storm deposits: an example from Martinhal, SW Portugal. Sediment Geol 200(3–4):208–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopes JBS (1841) Corografia ou Memória Económica, Estatística e Topográfica do Reino do Algarve. Academia R. das Sciencias de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal, 528 pp (in Portuguese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira MA (2009) Influência da geomorfologia local na preservação de assinaturas sedimentares de eventos de alta energia no Algarve ocidental. MSc dissertation, University of Lisbon, Portugal, 178 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira MA, Andrade C, Freitas MC, Costa PJ (2009) Modeling volume transfer between beach-foredune and the backshore by the 1755 Lisbon tsunami at Boca do Rio lowland, Algarve (Portugal). J Coast Res SI56(2):1547–1551

    Google Scholar 

  • Paris R, Wassmer P, Sartohadi J, Lavigne F, Barthomeuf B, Desgages E, Grancher D, Baumert P, Vautier F, Brunstein D, Gomez CH (2009) Tsunamis as geomorphic crises: lessons from the December 26, 2004 tsunami in Lhok Nga, West Banda Aceh (Sumatra, Indonesia). Geomorphology 104:59–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pires HO (1985) Alguns aspectos do clima de agitação marítima de interesse para a navegação na costa de Portugal. Instituto Nacional de Metereologia e Geofísica, Lisboa, Portugal, 30pp (in Portuguese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

MA Oliveira and PJM Costa benefited from FCT (Portuguese Science Foundation) PhD and Post-Doc Scholarships. R. González-Villanueva benefited from an IDL Post-Doc Fellowship and Xunta de Galicia (PlanI2C-ED481B 2014/132-0) Post-Doc Fellowship.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IDL and Departamento de Geologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício C6, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal

    P. J. M. Costa, M. A. Oliveira, C. Andrade & M. C. Freitas

  2. Dpto. Xeociencias Mariñas e O.T. (XM-1), Facultade de Ciencias do Mar Universidade de Vigo, Campus As Lagoas Marcosende, Vigo, 36310, Pontevedra, Spain

    R. González-Villanueva

Authors
  1. P. J. M. Costa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. A. Oliveira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. González-Villanueva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C. Andrade
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. C. Freitas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. J. M. Costa .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain

    V. Santiago-Fandiño

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

    H. Tanaka

  3. Department of Geology and Paleontology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany

    M. Spiske

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Costa, P.J.M., Oliveira, M.A., González-Villanueva, R., Andrade, C., Freitas, M.C. (2016). Imprints of the AD 1755 Tsunami in Algarve (South Portugal) Lowlands and Post-impact Recovery. In: Santiago-Fandiño, V., Tanaka, H., Spiske, M. (eds) Tsunamis and Earthquakes in Coastal Environments. Coastal Research Library, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28528-3_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation