Tsunami atlas for the coasts of the United States

TLDR: In this article, a large hypothetical earthquake is defined by appeal to history and tectonic theory, and the canonical source serves as input to a numerical hydrodynamic model which computes the resulting wave history anywhere within the ocean basin.

Abstract: Coastal power plant siting and safety analysis requires consideration of wave action and extreme water levels, both high and low. The run-up of large amplitude long waves, such as tsunamis, may pose a hazard to a coastal facility through direct dynamic effects on plant structures, through destruction of protective breakwaters and beaches, and the like. Extreme low water levels are of concern in design of coolant intake structures. The importance of tsunamis in these analyses, especially long Pacific coasts, makes specification of potential tsunami histories necessary. The present report addresses this problem. A large hypothetical earthquake is defined by appeal to history and tectonic theory. This canonical source serves as input to a numerical hydrodynamic model which computes the resulting wave history anywhere within the ocean basin. This procedure is repeated for a number of potential source locations, chosen according to degree and type of seismic activity. In this way, hypothetical coastal histories of great tsunamis emanating from any potential source area are simulated. The results of this study are offshore incident wave systems and do not include the complex, site-dependent, nearshore transformation. Users must account for such local effects in any specific application.