Tsunamis generated by subaerial mass flows

Abstract

Tsunamis generated in lakes and reservoirs by subaerial mass flows pose distinctive problems for hazards assessment because the domain of interest is commonly the "near field" beyond the zone of compex spashing but close enough to the source that wave propagation effects are not predominant. Scaling analysis of the equations governing water wave propagation shows that near-field wave amplitude and wavelength should depend on certain measures of mass flow dynamics and volume.