Numerical Simulation of the 1945 Makran Tsunami on the Southwest Coast and Lakshadweep Islands of India

Abstract

While in recent years much attention has been focused on tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, generated near Indonesia, equally destructive tsunamis also could occur in the western part of the North Indian Ocean. Specifically, the last major tsunami in the Arabian Sea occurred in November 1945 due to an earthquake that originated in the Makran region. The Tunami N2 model was used to simulate numerically the tsunami propagation, run-up, and inundation on the southwest coast of India and selected locations in the Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea. The simulations show that the run-up due to the 1945 Makran tsunami along the southwest coast of India and Lakshadweep islands was considerably less than that of the 2004 Sumatra tsunami.

Keywords:

• Tsunami
• Makran
• numerical modeling
• Tunami N2 model
• tsunami propagation

Acknowledgements

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (previously Department of Ocean Development) is thanked for funding the study. The authors are thankful to Dr. M. Baba, director, CESS, for the support and encouragement extended for the work. Dr. K. V. Thoms, M/s C. P. Shanavaz, R. Rajeesh, M. Sreejith, and M. Nithya have provided valuable support during various stages of the study.