The depth effect of earthquakes on tsunami heights in the Sea of Okhotsk

Authors: ANDREY ZAYTSEV, IRINA KOSTENKO, ANDREY KURKIN, EFIM PELINOVSKY, AHMET CEVDET YALÇINER

Abstract: The earthquake of magnitude M_w = 8.3 that occurred on 24 May 2013 in the Sea of Okhotsk was the most powerful earthquake in the region. Fortunately, the generated tsunami was small because of the deep focal depth (609 km) and was only detected by the nearest Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) buoy records. However, the event highlighted the fact that any earthquakes with similar magnitudes at shallower focal depths would have caused considerable tsunamis. In order to evaluate the effects of possible tsunamis in the Sea of Okhotsk, we simulated water displacements due to the 24 May 2013 event and compared the results with the measurements. Moreover, the simulations were extended using different shallower focal depths. In simulations we calculated the coastal amplifications and possible heights of the tsunami waves along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.

Keywords: Earthquake, tsunami, numerical modeling, simulation, amplification, Sea of Okhotsk

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