Abstract-The 2010 Mentawai earthquake (magnitude 7.7) generated a destructive tsunami that caused more than 500 casualties in the Mentawai Islands, west of Sumatra, Indonesia. Seismological analyses indicate that this earthquake was an unusual ''tsunami earthquake,'' which produces much larger tsunamis than expected from the seismic magnitude. We carried out a field survey to measure tsunami heights and inundation distances, an inversion of tsunami waveforms to estimate the slip distribution on the fault, and inundation modeling to compare the measured and simulated tsunami heights. The measured tsunami heights at eight locations on the west coasts of North and South Pagai Island ranged from 2.5 to 9.3 m, but were mostly in the 4-7 m range. At three villages, the tsunami inundation extended more than 300 m. Interviews of local residents indicated that the earthquake ground shaking was less intense than during previous large earthquakes and did not cause any damage. Inversion of tsunami waveforms recorded at nine coastal tide gauges, a nearby GPS buoy, and a DART station indicated a large slip (maximum 6.1 m) on a shallower part of the fault near the trench axis, a distribution similar to other tsunami earthquakes. The total seismic moment estimated from tsunami waveform inversion was 1.0 9 10 21 Nm, which corresponded to M w 7.9. Computed coastal tsunami heights from this tsunami source model using linear equations are similar to the measured tsunami heights. The inundation heights computed by using detailed bathymetry and topography data and nonlinear equations including inundation were smaller than the measured ones. This may have been partly due to the limited resolution and accuracy of publically available bathymetry and topography data. One-dimensional run-up computations using our surveyed topography profiles showed that the computed heights were roughly similar to the measured ones.
The 220-km-long Palu-Koro Fault, Central Sulawesi, is a major fault with prominent expression in Eastern Indonesia. Many studies about the Palu-Koro Fault have shown its capability of generating large earthquakes, but how the Palu-Koro Fault has evolved remains enigmatic. This study is to investigate the geomorphology of NW Palu Valley based on DEMNAS (Digital Elevation Model of Indonesia) and field observations to understand the development of the Palu-Koro Fault. The study area comprises a high mountain in the west and a valley in the east. There are two major normal faults and a strike-slip fault observed in NW Palu Valley. The western normal fault is a basin-bounding fault, which marks the topographic break between mountain and valley. To the east, another normal fault is observed cutting the old alluvial fans and expressed by planar fault scarps. The strike-slip fault is observed within the basin and crosses the distal part alluvial fans. It is expressed by intra-basin ridges in places which are slightly uplifted from the adjacent surface. The surface rupture of the 2018 Mw 7.5 Palu earthquake in NW Palu Valley also shows left-lateral movement up to 4 m. We consider that the development of the Palu-Koro Fault in NW Palu Valley is characterized by toward-centralbasin migration of faulting activity from basin-bounding fault to intra-basin fault.
<strong>Subsurface sediment distribution in the Sumba Waters, East Nusa Tenggara.</strong> Marine geological survey of the Ekspedisi Widya Nusantara 2016 was conducted in the Sumba Waters on 4 to 26 August 2016 using Baruna Jaya VIII research vessel. The aim of this survey was to reveal the type and characteristics of the subsurface sediments of the Sumba Waters. A total of 13 samples were taken from the different depth in the subsurface bottom of the sea using grabbing methode with box corer. Grain size analysis were conducted using Mastersizer 2000 to understand the characteristics and the sediment type distribution. In general, the type of the subsurface sediment in the Sumba Waters is ranging from medium to very coarse sandy silt. Distribution of the subsurface sediments is correlated to depths. Grain size of the sediments in the Sumba Strait is coarser than in the western and southern of Sumba Island that directly connected to the Indian Ocean. Distribution of the subsurface sediment showing that the sediment, which are distributed further away from the coast is poorly sorted. The deposition of the subsurface-sea sediment is interpreted to represent a calm, and slow sedimentation mechanism under uniform suspension process.
The 22 December 2018 Anak Karakatau tsunami in Indonesia was a rare event in that few instrumental records existed of tsunamis generated by volcanic sources before this event. The tsunami, which left a death toll of 437, is of global importance as it provides opportunities to develop knowledge on generation, propagation and coastal effects of volcanic tsunamis. Here, we report results of field surveys along the coast of the Sunda Strait, Indonesia to study tsunami wave heights and coastal damage. We surveyed 29 locations and measured ranges of tsunami runup from 0.9 to 5.2 m, tsunami heights from 1.4 to 6.3 m, flow depths from 0.2 m to 3.0 m and inundation distances from 18 to 212 m. The largest tsunami heights and concentration of damage and fatalities occurred on the western shore of Java from Tanjung Lesung to Sumur. The largest cluster of fatalities occurred at Tanjung Lesung, where more than 50 people died while attending an outdoor music being held at the shoreline. The tsunami runup and tsunami height in Tanjung Lesung were 4.0 and 2.9–3.8 m, respectively. We believe this tragedy could have been avoided if the event organizers were more aware of the hazard posed by the Anak Krakatau volcano, as it had been actively erupting for several months prior to the tsunami, and simply moved the concert stage 100 m inland. Many of the locations surveyed demonstrated a similar pattern where the majority of casualties and destruction occurred within 100 m of the coast; in several locations, lives were saved where buildings were located at least this distance inland. The significant damage and numerous deaths which occurred in Sumur, despite the moderate tsunami height of 2.3–2.5 m, can be attributed to the extremely low-lying coastal land there. Flow depth in Sumur was 0.9–2.0 m. During our field surveys, nearly one year after the event, we noted that some of the damaged buildings were being rebuilt in the same locations just 10–30 m from the shoreline. We question this practice since the new buildings could be at the same tsunami risk as those damaged in the 2018 event.
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