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Simulation of the Arabian Sea Tsunami propagation generated due to 1945 Makran Earthquake and its effect on western parts of Gujarat (India)

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Abstract

The 1945 Tsunami generated due to Makran Earthquake in the Arabian Sea was the most devastating tsunami in the history of the Arabian Sea and caused severe damage to property and loss of life. It occurred on 28th November 1945, 21:56 UTC (03:26 IST) with a magnitude of 8.0 (M w), originating off the Makran Coast of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea. It has impacted as far as Mumbai in India and was noticed up to Karvar Coast, Karnataka. More than 4,000 people were killed as a result of the earthquake and the tsunami. In this paper an attempt is made for a numerical simulation of the tsunami generation from the source, its propagation into the Arabian Sea and its effect on the western coast of India through the use of a numerical model, referred to as Tunami-N2. The present simulation is carried out for a duration of 300 min. It is observed from the results that the simulated arrival time of tsunami waves at the western coast of India is in good agreement with the available data sources. The paper also presents run-up elevation maps prepared using Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) data, showing the possible area of inundation due to various wave heights along different parts of the Gujarat Coast. Thus, these results will be useful in planning the protection measures against inundation due to tsunami and in the implementation of a warning system.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the TARU (research and consultancy group) for providing bathymetry data set for this experiment. Dr. M. V. Ramana Murthy of ICMAM, Chennai, is gratefully acknowledged by first author for discussion on TUNAMI-N2 model. Authors are thankful to Dr. Tad S. Murty and anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions that have helped in improving the manuscript. The work was carried out under a project sponsored by Dept. Sc. Tech., New Delhi.

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  1. Institute of Seismological Research, Sector 18, Gandhinagar, 382 018, Gujarat, India

    R. K. Jaiswal, A. P. Singh & B. K. Rastogi

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  1. R. K. Jaiswal
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  2. A. P. Singh
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  3. B. K. Rastogi
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Correspondence to R. K. Jaiswal.

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Jaiswal, R.K., Singh, A.P. & Rastogi, B.K. Simulation of the Arabian Sea Tsunami propagation generated due to 1945 Makran Earthquake and its effect on western parts of Gujarat (India). Nat Hazards 48, 245–258 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-008-9261-3

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