Geological Recognition of Onshore Tsunami Deposits

Abstract

The study and understanding of coastal hazards is a fundamental aspect for most modern societies. The consequences of extreme events such as tsunamis are being regarded as major threats for coastal regions. The sedimentological record provides a database useful to characterize and evaluate recurrence of tsunamis, which contributes to assessing the vulnerability of any coastal area to this natural hazard. Thus, the enhancement of our ability to recognize (palaeo) tsunami specific signatures in coastal sediments, through the application of diverse sedimentological techniques, is of unquestionable interest. This work reviews and discusses contributions provided by developments in the study of onshore tsunami deposits based on a group of sedimentological attributes\characteristics.