Review of previous studies on tsunami deposits in Hokkaido, northern Japan:Focusing on the studies of deposits from 17th century large tsunamis and others

Abstract

This paper reviews previous studies on tsunami deposits in Hokkaido, northern Japan. It presents a bibliography of relevant peerreviewed papers, reports, books, and digital maps. In particular, studies of three 17th Century tsunami deposits (i.e., deposits in the eastern Pacific coast area, deposits in the Iburi coast area related to an unknown earthquake, and deposits of the 1640 Hokkaido Komagatake tsunami), along with the geological features of the deposits, are described in detail to contribute to future tsunami mitigation in Hokkaido. Finally, three areas of research are proposed for future studies on tsunami deposits in Hokkaido: (1) clarification of the tsunami history in unsurveyed areas as part of a paleo-tsunami study, (2) detailed surveys in areas of social infrastructure (e.g., electric power plants, ports and harbors, main roads and railways, industrial and non-industrial waste disposal facilities, water supply network), and (3) identification of trigger events and the precise distribution of 17th Century tsunamis along the Pacific coast of Hokkaido.