Tsunamigenic risks associated with mass transport complexes in offshore Trinidad and Venezuela

Abstract

The study area is situated along the obliquely converging boundary of the Caribbean and the South American plates and proximal to the Orinoco delta. Several Plio-Pleistocene-age seafloor destabilization events have been identified in the continental margin of eastern offshore Trinidad. These mass wasting processes are thought to have been of sufficient scale to produce tsunamigenic waves. This work concentrates on the modeling of mass-failure-event-generated tsunami waves in eastern offshore Trinidad. Three different models were generated on the basis of geomorphological characteristics and causal mechanisms of mass transport complexes (MTCs): (1) slope-attached, (2) shelf-attached and (3) detached MTCs. Present-day geologic conditions suggest that detached and slope-attached mass failure events (MFEs) are more likely to occur today. In addition, modeling results indicate that detached MFEs that can occur on the collapsing flanks of mud-volcano ridges represent a higher tsunamigenic risk. These modeling results are a first approach to try to establish a tsunamigenic risk assessment in the region. © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2010.