Tsunami Deposits and Coastal Geological Processes

Tsunami deposits and coastal geological processes provide critical insights into past events and future risks. Tsunami deposits are layers of sediment laid down by tsunami waves as they inundate shorelines. These deposits vary in thickness, composition and extent depending on wave energy, sediment supply and coastal morphology. Identification and analysis of these layers in coastal and nearshore environments enable reconstruction of tsunami history beyond instrument records. Coastal geological processes—such as erosion, sediment transport and sea-level change—interact with tsunami dynamics to shape shoreline evolution. Studies integrate field observations, sedimentology, geochronology and numerical modelling to discern sedimentary features such as sand sheets, scoured depressions, microfossil assemblages and geomorphic changes. This multidisciplinary approach refines estimates of tsunami recurrence intervals, magnitudes and inland penetration, informing hazard assessments and coastal management worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have revealed how tsunami-induced reworking of marine sediments can alter palaeoclimate records by transporting older microfossils into younger strata, thereby challenging interpretations of abrupt climate events. Investigations along subduction margins have reconstructed multi-millennial records of high-magnitude tsunamis, using grain-size analysis, geochemical proxies and luminescence dating to pinpoint occurrences of magnitude > 8 earthquakes and their associated waves over the past two millennia. Research on coastal marshes in eastern Japan has documented elongate scour ponds formed by high-energy tsunamis, with ground-penetrating radar and core analysis demonstrating recurrent shoreline erosion and sediment infilling cycles tied to historical megathrust ruptures, underscoring the importance of geomorphic evidence for assessing tsunami frequency and coastal resilience.

Tsunami Deposits and Coastal Geological Processes publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in tsunami deposits and coastal geological processes across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Tsunami deposit: A stratigraphic layer of sand, silt or organic material transported and deposited by tsunami waves during inundation.

Subduction zone: A tectonic boundary where one lithospheric plate descends beneath another, commonly generating megathrust earthquakes and tsunamis.

Inverse modelling: Computational methods that infer tsunami source or flow parameters by fitting model outputs to observed deposit characteristics.

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR): A geophysical technique using electromagnetic pulses to image subsurface sedimentary structures and stratigraphy.

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating: A geochronological method measuring trapped electrons within mineral grains to determine the time since sediment burial.

References

1. Contamination of 8.2 ka cold climate records by the Storegga tsunami in the Nordic Seas. Nature Communications (2024).
2. Tsunami deposits highlight high-magnitude earthquake potential in the Guerrero seismic gap Mexico. Communications Earth & Environment (2024).
3. Scour ponds from unusually large tsunamis on a beach-ridge plain in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. Scientific Reports (2023).
4. Understanding flow characteristics from tsunami deposits at Odaka, Joban Coast, using a deep neural network (DNN) inverse model. Natural Hazards and Earth System Science (2024).
5. Using Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) to Investigate the Exceptionally Thick Deposits from the Storegga Tsunami in Northeastern Scotland. Remote Sensing (2024).
6. Improving tsunami hazard assessment in central-north Chile using forward (TELEMAC) and inverse (TSUFLIND) models for the 2015 Illapel tsunami. Applied Ocean Research (2024).