Publication Date:
2015-06-03
Description:
A sparsely documented tsunami in 1454 may subdivide the recurrence interval between the 869 and 2011 tsunamis near Sendai, as judged from geomorphic, stratigraphic, and archival evidence. Pond-filled breaches cut across beach ridges on century-old topographic maps. The basal pond deposit in one of these breaches postdates 1454. Stratigraphy on Sendai Plain includes a sand sheet that contains marine and brackish diatoms. Radiocarbon ages suggest that the sheet dates to 1406–1615 (2σ), and written records for this interval in Tohoku mention a tsunami in 1454. The inferred inundation extended 1.0-2.5 km inland from an approximate medieval shoreline. Simulated tsunamis that best account for the sand sheet require a thrust earthquake of moment magnitude 8.4 or larger. If the sand sheet represents the 1454 tsunami, the most two recent intervals between great thrust earthquakes in Sendai region spanned 585 and 557 years.
Print ISSN:
0094-8276
Electronic ISSN:
1944-8007
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
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