Progress of the Powell Center Working Group on Tsunami Sources

Session: Understanding Non-Traditional Seismic Tsunami Hazards [Poster]
Type: Poster
Date: 4/28/2020
Time: 08:00 AM
Room: Ballroom
Description: 

A set of realistic and consistent tsunami source models was identified as a high priority need for tsunami hazard mitigation at a 2016 workshop between U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and the National Tsunami Hazards Mitigation Program (NTHMP). The NTHMP, a federal/state partnership funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is composed of emergency managers and scientists representing tsunami-vulnerable U.S. states and territories, plus representatives from NOAA, the USGS and FEMA.

Members of the NTHMP’s Mapping and Modeling Subcommittee and other researchers have formed a working group, partially supported by the USGS Powell Center. The goal of the working group is to define and implement a transparent and scientifically based methodology and evaluation process for characterizing historical and hypothetical but realistic sources of tsunamis that pose a potential hazard to U.S. populations, commerce and infrastructure in order to improve the mitigation efforts of federal, state and local authorities.

Using a logic tree process, and including regional experts, the working group is synthesizing existing geological and geophysical knowledge of submarine earthquake faults and coastal landslide sources to produce a database of source models for use in creating hazards assessments for risk reduction. It will also address the scientific question of how increasing sophistication in tsunami source models impacts products such as evacuation plans, mitigation of damage and land-use planning.

The first workshop was held in April 2018 and adopted a probabilistic process where possible. The second, in October 2018, focused on Alaska tsunami sources and the third, focused on tsunami sources that impact the U.S. East Coast, Gulf Coast and Caribbean Territories, was held in May 2019. Future workshops will focus separately on the Cascadia Subduction Zone and Pacific tsunami sources other than Cascadia and Alaska.

Presenting Author: Stephanie L. Ross

Authors