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Earthquake Mechanism and Seafloor Deformation for Tsunami Generation

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Encyclopedia of Earthquake Engineering

Synonyms

Seismogenic tsunami; Tsunami forcing; Tsunami initial conditions; Tsunamigenic

Introduction

Tsunamis are generated in the ocean by rapidly displacing the entire water column over a significant area. The potential energy resulting from this disturbance is balanced with the kinetic energy of the waves during propagation. Only a handful of submarine geologic phenomena can generate tsunamis: large-magnitude earthquakes, large landslides, and volcanic processes. Asteroid and subaerial landslide impacts can generate tsunami waves from above the water. Earthquakes are by far the most common generator of tsunamis. Generally, earthquakes greater than magnitude (M) 6.5–7 can generate tsunamis if they occur beneath an ocean and if they result in predominantly vertical displacement. One of the greatest uncertainties in both deterministic and probabilistic hazard assessments of tsunamis is computing seafloor deformation for earthquakes of a given magnitude. This entry reviews past...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, 999, 94025, Menlo Park, CA, USA

    Eric L. Geist

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave., 92521, Riverside, CA, USA

    David D. Oglesby

Authors
  1. Eric L. Geist
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  2. David D. Oglesby
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric L. Geist .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Risk & Uncertainty, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Michael Beer

  2. Institute for Risk and Uncertainty, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Ioannis A. Kougioumtzoglou

  3. Institute for Risk & Uncertainty, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Edoardo Patelli

  4. Institute for Risk & Uncertainty, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Ivan Siu-Kui Au

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Geist, E.L., Oglesby, D.D. (2014). Earthquake Mechanism and Seafloor Deformation for Tsunami Generation. In: Beer, M., Kougioumtzoglou, I., Patelli, E., Au, IK. (eds) Encyclopedia of Earthquake Engineering. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36197-5_296-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36197-5_296-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-36197-5

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