An unconsidered source of Tokyo earthquakes and Pacific Ocean tsunamis
Abstract
The assessment of seismic hazards along subduction zone coastlines provides important information regarding the frequency and magnitude of earthquakes and tsunamis that can be expected to impact coastal communities in the future. Unlike many subduction zone coastlines that involve one tectonic plate subducting under another, seismic hazard assessments for the Tokyo Region are complicated by the presence of a nearby triple junction; where one continental (CON) and two oceanic plates (PHS, PAC) collide. The CON/PHS and CON/PAC boundaries are recognized earthquake sources. However, historical and geological evidence of a PHS/PAC earthquake has been lacking. Here we show that two unusually large tsunamis are evidenced by sandy deposits preserved along 50 km of coastline in the Tokyo Region. The oldest of them, deposited about 1,000 years ago, contains evidence consistent with tsunami deposits reported elsewhere in Japan (e.g., marine foraminifera, rip-up clasts, pebbles, erosional base) and represents a previously unknown prehistoric earthquake. In computer simulations, this earthquake deposited sand that extended too far inland to represent earthquakes originating from the CON/PHS and CON/PAC boundaries. Rather, the greater inland inundation requires interplate thrusting along the PHS/PAC boundary, a previously unconsidered source for earthquakes. This previously unconsidered source has the potential to generate tsunamis that could result in damaging consequences for the Tokyo Region as well as other Pacific Ocean coastlines.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMNH41A..04P
- Keywords:
-
- 4315 Monitoring;
- forecasting;
- prediction;
- NATURAL HAZARDS;
- 4333 Disaster risk analysis and assessment;
- NATURAL HAZARDS;
- 4341 Early warning systems;
- NATURAL HAZARDS;
- 4564 Tsunamis and storm surges;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL