POSSIBLE TSUNAMIS IN THE ARCTIC

Abstract

The Arctic is the least studied region in terms of problems associated with earthquake and tsunami phenomena. Usually, the tsunami hazard in the Arctic is considered insignificant. This is primarily due to the low seismic activity of the region. In connection with the economic development of the shelf, the problem of tsunami hazard on the Arctic coast becomes to be actual and requires detailed studies of the probable events of tsunami wave generation. This present study considers the potential problem of the tsunami hazard in the Arctic region, and provides estimates of possible tsunami wave heights on the shelves of the Arctic coasts of the Baffin Sea, the Laptev Sea and the Beaufort Sea. On the basis of the keyboard model of the subduction zone, a number of scenarios of the possible occurrence of earthquakes with source in the area of localization of historical source of the earthquake in 1933, (М=7.7, 1964, М=6.7, 1920, М=6.4) were considered.

Keywords

• arctic ocean
• arctic shelf
• earthquake key-board model
• tsunami
• numerical simulation