The 1908 disaster of Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, Québec, Canada: Analysis of the landslide and tsunami

Abstract

The landslide of 1908 in Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, Québec, was the deadliest event occurring in sensitive clays of Eastern Canada, causing 33 deaths. Of these, 26 are associated with the tsunami generated impact of water and ice on the opposite bank. A LiDAR survey of the sector, and a geotechnical investigation were carried out respectively in 2009 and 2010 to characterize this landslide. Covering an area of 6.5 ha, the soil mass carried is estimated at nearly 1.2 million m3. The paper describes the event, reports the results of the investigation and discusses the tsunami caused by the debris of the landslide. The tsunami approach includes modeling both the kinematics of the slide and the wave.