Alexandria, VA - Tsunami hazard maps exist for California coastlines, but recent geological studies indicated some faults may be capable of unleashing more powerful quakes than previously thought. Given this new information, researchers at the University of California Riverside wondered if the current tsunami hazard maps adequately predict inundation zones, or if they need to be updated.
To test their idea, they modeled an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 on the Red Mountain and Pitas Point submarine faults off the coast of Los Angeles. The resulting tsunami behaved predictably when it tracked northward, but to the south the tsunami flooded much farther inland than current projections predict. Read the entire story in the February issue of EARTH Magazine at: http://bit.ly/1SSZZvm.
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Source: American Geosciences Institute