Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
(A)
(B)
FIGURE 2.1
Tsunami maps for Cannon Beach, Oregon, including (A) a tsunami hazard map developed
for a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake scenario and (B) an evacuation map that includes evacuation
zones for a Cascadia-related tsunami (in yellow) and a far-ield tsunami (in orange). SOURCE: http:www.
oregongeology.org/sub/default.htm; image courtesy of DOGAMI.
Tsunami Sources
The societal value of inundation models depends largely on estimates of tsunami sources
(Synolakis et al., 1997). If a modeler underestimates a tsunami source, a real tsunami may
inundate places the modeling had deemed safe and lives could be unnecessarily lost as a
result. If instead the modeler overestimates the tsunami source, risk reduction efforts may be
cost-prohibitive and more people and businesses may be unnecessarily affected in future
evacuations.
Large uncertainties remain concerning the sources of tsunamis that could inundate U.S.
shorelines. These sources include subduction zones of the Paciic Rim and Caribbean, under-
water landslides off the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and off southern California, and volcanoes in
