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Wave erosion on the southeastern coast of Australia: Tsunami propagation modelling

1996; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 43; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/08120099608728269

1440-0952

Anthony T. Jones, Charles L. Mader,

Geological and Geochemical Analysis

Catastrophic wave erosion on the southeastern coast of Australia has been attributed to a Hawaiian tsunami generated by the Alika 2 debris avalanche approximately 105 000 years ago. We examine the likelihood of a Hawaiian underwater mega‐landslide as the tsunami's source through numerical tsunami propagation modelling, performed using the SWAN code which solves the non‐linear long‐wave equations. The tsunami generation and propagation was modelled using twenty minute ETOPO5 topography for the Pacific Basin. Results for a hypothetical avalanche in the Hawaiian Islands ten times the volume of the Alika 2 debris avalanche show that Hawaii cannot be the source for a 15 m wave on the Australian coast. An asteroid impact in the central Pacific is examined as an alternative source for the erosional wave. Modelling results indicate that the impact of a 6 km asteroid could generate significant wave run‐up along the southeastern coast of Australia.