The giant 1960 tsunami in the context of a 6000-year record of paleotsunamis and coastal evolution in south-central Chile

Pedro I. Matos-Llavona; Lisa L. Ely; Breanyn MacInnes; Tina Dura; Marco A. Cisternas; Joanne Bourgeois; David Bruce; Jessica DePaolis; Alexander Dolcimascolo; Benjamin P. Horton; Daniel Melnick; Alan R. Nelson; Walter Szeliga; Robert L. Wesson

doi:10.1002/esp.5363

The giant 1960 tsunami in the context of a 6000-year record of paleotsunamis and coastal evolution in south-central Chile

Pedro I. Matos-Llavona^*
, Lisa L. Ely
, Breanyn MacInnes
, Tina Dura
, Marco A. Cisternas
, Joanne Bourgeois
, David Bruce
, Jessica DePaolis
, Alexander Dolcimascolo
, Benjamin P. Horton
, Daniel Melnick
, Alan R. Nelson
, Walter Szeliga
, Robert L. Wesson

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The tsunami associated with the giant 9.5 M_w 1960 Chile earthquake deposited an extensive sand layer above organic-rich soils near Queule (39.3°S, 73.2°W), south-central Chile. Using the 1960 tsunami deposits, together with eye-witness observations and numerical simulations of tsunami inundation, we tested the tsunami inundation sensitivity of the site to different earthquake slip distributions. Stratigraphically below the 1960 deposit are two additional widespread sand layers interpreted as tsunami deposits with maximum ages of 4960–4520 and 5930–5740 cal BP. This >4500-year gap of tsunami deposits preserved in the stratigraphic record is inconsistent with written and geological records of large tsunamis in south-central Chile in 1575, 1837, and possibly 1737. We explain this discrepancy by: (1) poor preservation of tsunami deposits due to reduced accommodation space from relative sea-level fall during the late Holocene; (2) recently evolved coastal geomorphology that increased sediment availability for tsunami deposit formation in 1960; and/or (3) the possibility that the 1960 tsunami was significantly larger at this particular location than other tsunamis in the past >4500 years. Our research illustrates the complexities of reconstructing a complete stratigraphic record of past tsunamis from a single site for tsunami hazard assessment. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2062-2078
Journal	Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
Volume	47
Issue number	8
Online published	24 Mar 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5363
Publication status	Published - 30 Jun 2022
Externally published	Yes

Funding

We would like to thank Diego Aedo, Megan Christie, Tirso Cisternas, Ed Garrett, Fernanda Narbona, and Audrey Piacsek for assistance with field work; Trent Adams, Andrew Deliduka, and Andrew Glenn for contributions to sample processing and grain‐size measurements in the lab; and William Manley (INSTAAR, University of Colorado) for providing unpublished stratigraphic data from some of the field sites. We also thank Doña Pachy and Don Jorge from Cabañas Peumayén‐Toltén for their hospitality during fieldwork. The manuscript was improved by reviews from S. La Selle, P. Kempf, and an anonymous reviewer. This research project is supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) Awards EAR‐1624542 and EAR‐1624533, the Millennium Scientific Initiative (ICM) of the Chilean government through Grant NC160025 ‘Millennium Nucleus CYCLO The Seismic Cycle Along Subduction Zones’, Chilean National Fund for Development of Science and Technology (FONDECYT) Grants 1181479 and 1190258, the ANID PIA Anillo ACT192169. Nelson was supported by the Earthquake Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. Matos‐Llavona was also supported by a Puget Sound Energy Graduate Fellowship at Central Washington University. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Research Keywords

Chile 1960 earthquake
coastal geomorphology
coastal hazard
earthquake geomorphology
paleoseismology
tsunami deposits

Access Output

10.1002/esp.5363

Other Access Options

Check CityUHK Library

Permanent Link

Right click to copy link

Cite this

Matos-Llavona, P. I., Ely, L. L., MacInnes, B., Dura, T., Cisternas, M. A., Bourgeois, J., Bruce, D., DePaolis, J., Dolcimascolo, A., Horton, B. P., Melnick, D., Nelson, A. R., Szeliga, W., & Wesson, R. L. (2022). The giant 1960 tsunami in the context of a 6000-year record of paleotsunamis and coastal evolution in south-central Chile. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 47(8), 2062-2078. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5363

@article{c57d92e5780642e59e200ff004a6b91b,

title = "The giant 1960 tsunami in the context of a 6000-year record of paleotsunamis and coastal evolution in south-central Chile",

abstract = "The tsunami associated with the giant 9.5 Mw 1960 Chile earthquake deposited an extensive sand layer above organic-rich soils near Queule (39.3°S, 73.2°W), south-central Chile. Using the 1960 tsunami deposits, together with eye-witness observations and numerical simulations of tsunami inundation, we tested the tsunami inundation sensitivity of the site to different earthquake slip distributions. Stratigraphically below the 1960 deposit are two additional widespread sand layers interpreted as tsunami deposits with maximum ages of 4960–4520 and 5930–5740 cal BP. This >4500-year gap of tsunami deposits preserved in the stratigraphic record is inconsistent with written and geological records of large tsunamis in south-central Chile in 1575, 1837, and possibly 1737. We explain this discrepancy by: (1) poor preservation of tsunami deposits due to reduced accommodation space from relative sea-level fall during the late Holocene; (2) recently evolved coastal geomorphology that increased sediment availability for tsunami deposit formation in 1960; and/or (3) the possibility that the 1960 tsunami was significantly larger at this particular location than other tsunamis in the past >4500 years. Our research illustrates the complexities of reconstructing a complete stratigraphic record of past tsunamis from a single site for tsunami hazard assessment. {\textcopyright} 2022 John Wiley \& Sons, Ltd.",

keywords = "Chile 1960 earthquake, coastal geomorphology, coastal hazard, earthquake geomorphology, paleoseismology, tsunami deposits",

author = "Matos-Llavona, \{Pedro I.\} and Ely, \{Lisa L.\} and Breanyn MacInnes and Tina Dura and Cisternas, \{Marco A.\} and Joanne Bourgeois and David Bruce and Jessica DePaolis and Alexander Dolcimascolo and Horton, \{Benjamin P.\} and Daniel Melnick and Nelson, \{Alan R.\} and Walter Szeliga and Wesson, \{Robert L.\}",

year = "2022",

month = jun,

day = "30",

doi = "10.1002/esp.5363",

language = "English",

volume = "47",

pages = "2062--2078",

journal = "Earth Surface Processes and Landforms",

issn = "0197-9337",

publisher = "John Wiley \& Sons",

number = "8",

}

Matos-Llavona, PI, Ely, LL, MacInnes, B, Dura, T, Cisternas, MA, Bourgeois, J, Bruce, D, DePaolis, J, Dolcimascolo, A, Horton, BP, Melnick, D, Nelson, AR, Szeliga, W & Wesson, RL 2022, 'The giant 1960 tsunami in the context of a 6000-year record of paleotsunamis and coastal evolution in south-central Chile', Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, vol. 47, no. 8, pp. 2062-2078. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5363

The giant 1960 tsunami in the context of a 6000-year record of paleotsunamis and coastal evolution in south-central Chile. / Matos-Llavona, Pedro I.; Ely, Lisa L.; MacInnes, Breanyn et al.
In: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, Vol. 47, No. 8, 30.06.2022, p. 2062-2078.

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - The giant 1960 tsunami in the context of a 6000-year record of paleotsunamis and coastal evolution in south-central Chile

AU - Matos-Llavona, Pedro I.

AU - Ely, Lisa L.

AU - MacInnes, Breanyn

AU - Dura, Tina

AU - Cisternas, Marco A.

AU - Bourgeois, Joanne

AU - Bruce, David

AU - DePaolis, Jessica

AU - Dolcimascolo, Alexander

AU - Horton, Benjamin P.

AU - Melnick, Daniel

AU - Nelson, Alan R.

AU - Szeliga, Walter

AU - Wesson, Robert L.

PY - 2022/6/30

Y1 - 2022/6/30

N2 - The tsunami associated with the giant 9.5 Mw 1960 Chile earthquake deposited an extensive sand layer above organic-rich soils near Queule (39.3°S, 73.2°W), south-central Chile. Using the 1960 tsunami deposits, together with eye-witness observations and numerical simulations of tsunami inundation, we tested the tsunami inundation sensitivity of the site to different earthquake slip distributions. Stratigraphically below the 1960 deposit are two additional widespread sand layers interpreted as tsunami deposits with maximum ages of 4960–4520 and 5930–5740 cal BP. This >4500-year gap of tsunami deposits preserved in the stratigraphic record is inconsistent with written and geological records of large tsunamis in south-central Chile in 1575, 1837, and possibly 1737. We explain this discrepancy by: (1) poor preservation of tsunami deposits due to reduced accommodation space from relative sea-level fall during the late Holocene; (2) recently evolved coastal geomorphology that increased sediment availability for tsunami deposit formation in 1960; and/or (3) the possibility that the 1960 tsunami was significantly larger at this particular location than other tsunamis in the past >4500 years. Our research illustrates the complexities of reconstructing a complete stratigraphic record of past tsunamis from a single site for tsunami hazard assessment. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AB - The tsunami associated with the giant 9.5 Mw 1960 Chile earthquake deposited an extensive sand layer above organic-rich soils near Queule (39.3°S, 73.2°W), south-central Chile. Using the 1960 tsunami deposits, together with eye-witness observations and numerical simulations of tsunami inundation, we tested the tsunami inundation sensitivity of the site to different earthquake slip distributions. Stratigraphically below the 1960 deposit are two additional widespread sand layers interpreted as tsunami deposits with maximum ages of 4960–4520 and 5930–5740 cal BP. This >4500-year gap of tsunami deposits preserved in the stratigraphic record is inconsistent with written and geological records of large tsunamis in south-central Chile in 1575, 1837, and possibly 1737. We explain this discrepancy by: (1) poor preservation of tsunami deposits due to reduced accommodation space from relative sea-level fall during the late Holocene; (2) recently evolved coastal geomorphology that increased sediment availability for tsunami deposit formation in 1960; and/or (3) the possibility that the 1960 tsunami was significantly larger at this particular location than other tsunamis in the past >4500 years. Our research illustrates the complexities of reconstructing a complete stratigraphic record of past tsunamis from a single site for tsunami hazard assessment. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

KW - Chile 1960 earthquake

KW - coastal geomorphology

KW - coastal hazard

KW - earthquake geomorphology

KW - paleoseismology

KW - tsunami deposits

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85127526615

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/pubmetrics.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85127526615&origin=recordpage

U2 - 10.1002/esp.5363

DO - 10.1002/esp.5363

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

SN - 0197-9337

VL - 47

SP - 2062

EP - 2078

JO - Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

JF - Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

IS - 8

ER -

The giant 1960 tsunami in the context of a 6000-year record of paleotsunamis and coastal evolution in south-central Chile

Abstract

Funding

Research Keywords

Access Output

Other Access Options

Permanent Link

Other Files and Links

Fingerprint

Cite this