COMPARATIVE NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE TOHOKU 2011 TSUNAMI

Abstract

The comparative numerical simulation of generation and propagation of tsunami waves generated by the source of the catastrophic 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan was performed based on the Okada model and the dynamic keyboard block model. The initial model is connected with the choice of orientation of longitudinal and transverse ruptures within the source region and the values of displacements along the main fault. A subsequent model is based on the premise that the initial stress distribution along the fault zone affects essentially the character of movements around the earthquake source and takes into account the stress-strain state of keyboard blocks. In the first case of the present study, the earthquake source was designated and constructed based on the parameters of the ten largest aftershocks within a finite time interval, while in the second case the source used included all aftershocks on the first day following the main event. Based on such comparative source simulations and far-field tsunami wave measurements, the results with both models were determined to have close similarities. However, in the near-field zone, the agreement with observable data was not as good. That can be attributed to inaccuracies in the placement of virtual tide gauges relative to real ones, as well as to features of bottom relief near the coast.

Keywords

• earthquake and tsunami of 2011 Tohoku
• earthquake sources
• tsunami source