Anak Krakatau: Collapsed volcano's tsunami simulated
Scientists have produced a new model to illustrate the December collapse of Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano and its subsequent tsunami.
The results indicate that 0.2-0.4 cu km of material on the southwestern flank of the volcano must have slid into the sea to produce the destructive waves. The simulation matches well the high-water readings recorded at tide gauges on Sumatran and Javan coasts.
More than 400 people lost their lives in the disaster; 33,000 were displaced.
The event took nearly everyone by surprise. The dangers of a landslide-generated tsunami stemming from a volcanic eruption had been under-appreciated. Local populations certainly had no warning.
Scientists, also, were having to catch up, said Prof David Tappin, who presented the new model here at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly. Thinking had been strongly focused on the tsunamis from big earthquakes, the British Geological Survey and University College London scientist told reporters.
"Why is Anak Krakatau interesting? Because it's the first such event we've been able to investigate using all the modern technologies and understandings that have come about over the past 20 years," he explained.
"[These include] numerical tsunami modelling, particularly from non-seismic sources; satellite radar; high-resolution satellite photography before and after the event; and high-resolution seabed mapping."
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen