Numerical Modeling of Sediment Mass Sliding and Tsunami Generation: The Case of February 7, 1963, in Corinth Gulf, Greece

Abstract

Numerical modeling of a landslide process at the continental slope by taking into account slope parameters is performed for the tsunami event of February 7, 1963, reported in the Corinth Gulf, central Greece. A layered sediment structure was considered, and an initial external dynamic action at the landslide process was introduced. The results obtained were quite consistent with the observational runup data as well as with the results arrived at by conventional rigid-body and viscous-fluid models. However, this approach permits to describe in detail the formation of several wave groups and particular tsunami characteristics that are strongly dependent on the landslide model.

Keywords:

• Submarine slump
• plastic flow
• yield stress
• stress-strain relation
• shallow water equations
• tsunami wave
• Corinth gulf
• Greece