Journal of Earthquake and Tsunami 

About: Journal of Earthquake and Tsunami is an academic journal published by World Scientific. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Geology & Engineering. It has an ISSN identifier of 1793-7116. Over the lifetime, 460 publications have been published receiving 3611 citations. The journal is also known as: Earthquake and tsunami.

The sumatran fault zone — from source to hazard

Abstract: The substantial portion of the dextral component of the Sumatran oblique convergence is accommodated by the Sumatran fault. This 1900 km-long active strike-slip fault zone runs along the backbone of Sumatra pose seismic and fault hazards to dense population on and around the fault zones. The Sumatran fault is highly segmented, and consists of 20 major geometrically defined segments, which range in length from about 60 to 200 km. These segment lengths influenced seismic source dimensions and have limited the magnitudes of large historical fault ruptures to between Mw 6.5 and about 7.7. Slip rates along the fault increase northwestward, from about 5 mm/yr around the Sunda Strait to 27 mm/yr around Toba Lake. These sliprate values provide a quantitative basis for calculation of average expected recurrence periods for large earthquakes on each segment. Deterministic and probabilistic hazard assessments are constructed based on these active fault data.

Numerical simulations of the 2004 indian ocean tsunamis — coastal effects

Abstract: The 2004 Sumatra earthquake and the associated tsunamis are one of the most devastating natural disasters in the last century. The tsunamis flooded a huge coastal area in the surrounding countries, especially in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, and caused enormous loss of human lives and properties. In this paper, tsunami inundations in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka and North Banda Aceh, Indonesia were simulated by using a finite-difference model based on nonlinear shallow-water equations. The calculated tsunami heights and inundations in these two regions are compared with the field measurements and observations. Fairly good agreement is observed. Numerical results confirm again that the local bathymetric and topographic characteristics play important roles in determining the inundation area. Numerical simulations further indicate that although nonlinearity becomes important in many dynamic aspects when tsunamis approach the shore, its influence on determining the inundation area is relatively small in the regions examined for this tsunami event. Finally, the potential capability of sediment transport and a force index on a virtual structure in flooded areas are introduced and discussed.

Remote sensing technologies in post-disaster damage assessment

Abstract: This paper highlights the recent applications of remote sensing technologies in post-disaster damage assessment, especially in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2006 Central Java earthquake. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, satellite images which captured the affected areas before and after the event were fully employed in field investigations and in tsunami damage mapping. Since the affected areas are vast, moderate resolution satellite images were quite effective in change detection due to the tsunami. Using high-resolution optical satellite images acquired before and after the 2006 Central Java earthquake, the areas of building damage were extracted based on pixel-based and object-based land cover classifications and their accuracy was compared with visual inspection results. In the Central Java earthquake, ALOS/PALSAR captured a SAR image of the affected area one day after the event as well as pre-event times. Taking the difference of the pre-event correlation and the pre-and-post event correlation, the areas affected by the earthquake were also identified. From these examples, the use of proper satellite imagery is suggested considering the area to cover, sensor type, spatial resolution, satellite's retake time etc., in post-disaster damage assessment.

New structural system for earthquake resilient design

Abstract: The concept of self-centering structure and replaceable structural member or fuse is a new approach of earthquake resilient structural design. The new structural system is not only capable of preventing from failure of the structure and life safety of the occupants during earthquakes, but also quickly restoring its basic function in a short time following earthquakes. Restoring the original position through self-weight or pre-stressing forces, this kind of structures is defined as a rocking or self-centering structure. The replaceable elements of the other new kind of structural system, which includes coupling beams, energy dissipation devices, and rubber bearings and so on, are designed to be inelastic or failure, like a fuse, and to protect the main structure from damage in the region of high seismicity. The authors of this paper will report three different tests on new earthquake resilient structures, which are shaking table tests on a self-centering RC frame, quasi-static cyclic tests on RC wall with replaceable coupling beams and the ones with replaceable foot parts. All of the three new kind structural systems present an efficient resilient ability under severe horizontal forces in the tests.

Probabilistic analysis of strong ground motion and tsunami hazards in southeast asia

Abstract: The December 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake emphasized the need for a consistent and comprehensive assessment of tsunami hazard. We have developed a method for Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Analysis (PTHA) based on the traditional Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) and therefore completely consistent with standard seismic practice. In lieu of attenuation relations, it uses the summation of finite-difference Green's functions that have been pre-computed for individual subfaults, which enables us to rapidly construct scenario tsunami waveforms from an aggregate of subfaults that comprise a single large event. For every fault system, it is then possible to integrate over sets of thousands of events within a certain magnitude range that represents a fully probabilistic distribution. Because of the enclosed nature of ports and harbors, effects of resonance need to be addressed as well, which is why we have extended this method to not only analyze exceedance levels of maximum wave height, but also of spectral amplitudes. As in PSHA, these spectral amplitudes can be matched with the spectral response of harbors, and thus allow a comprehensive probabilistic analysis of tsunami hazard in ports and harbors.