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Tsunamis in the central part of the Caspian Sea

  • Marine Physics
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Oceanology Aims and scope

Abstract

This paper describes the geotectonics of the Caspian Sea basin and the seismicity of its central part. The seismicity analysis enables us to identify the most probable zones of tsunami generation. We also present a brief review of the historical records of tsunamis in the Caspian Sea. In order to estimate the tsunami risk, we used the method of numerical hydrodynamic simulation while taking into account the real topography of the Caspian Sea. The computation of the wave field for the possible tsunamis occurring in the central part of the Caspian Sea allowed us to estimate the maximum expected heights of the waves along the coast of the CIS countries (Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan). On the basis of the earthquake statistics in the region and the results of numerical experiments, we show that the extreme wave heights can reach 10 m at certain parts of the coast. Such extreme events correspond to extended (up to 200 km) seismic sources with M S ∼ 8 and a recurrence period of T ≈ 1600 years. The tsunami wave heights are expected to be as high as 3 m for sources of lesser extent (<50 km) with earthquake magnitudes of M S ∼ 7 and a recurrence period of 200 years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    E. A. Kulikov, I. P. Kuzin & O. I. Yakovenko

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  1. E. A. Kulikov
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  2. I. P. Kuzin
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  3. O. I. Yakovenko
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Correspondence to E. A. Kulikov.

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Original Russian Text © E.A. Kulikov, I.P. Kuzin, O.I. Yakovenko, 2014, published in Okeanologiya, 2014, Vol. 54, No. 4, pp. 473–483.

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Kulikov, E.A., Kuzin, I.P. & Yakovenko, O.I. Tsunamis in the central part of the Caspian Sea. Oceanology 54, 435–444 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437014030060

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437014030060

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