Elena Suleimani

Note on the 1964 Alaska Tsunami Generation by Horizontal Displacements of Ocean Bottom. Numerical Modeling of the Runup in Chenega Cove, Alaska

A numerical model of the wave dynamics in Chenega Cove, Alaska during the historic Mw9.2 megathrust earthquake is presented. During the earthquake, locally generated waves of unknown origin were identified at the village of Chenega, located in the western part of Prince William Sound. The waves appeared shortly after the shaking began and swept away most of the buildings while the shaking continued. We model the tectonic tsunami in Chenega Cove assuming different tsunami generation processes. Modeled results are compared with eyewitness reports and an observed runup. Results of the numerical experiments let us claim the importance of including both vertical and horizontal displacement into the 1964 tsunami generation process. We also present an explanation for the fact that arrivals of later waves in Chenega were unnoticed.

Inundation Modeling of the 1964 Tsunami in Kodiak Island, Alaska

In this work a numerical modeling method is used to study tsunami waves generated by the Great Alaska earthquake of 1964, and their impact on Kodiak Island communities. The numerical model is based on the nonlinear shallow water equations of motion and continuity which are solved by a finite-difference method. We compare two different source models for the 1964 deformation. It is shown that the results of the near-field inundation modeling strongly depend on the slip distribution within the rupture area. These results are used for evaluation of the tsunami hazard for the Kodiak Island communities.