The comprehensive Australian Tsunami database – just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water
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Date
2014-07-07
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Geological Society of Australia
Abstract
This new database incorporates peer-reviewed publications, critical reviews and searchable web-based datasets and as such represents a complete re-organisation and restructuring of previous work. These new data take the number of events from 57 (including two “erroneous events”) to 145. Several significant errors have been corrected, not the least of which are mistaken run-up heights for the 19 August 1977 Sumba Island, Indonesia event that suggested it was the largest historical tsunami in Australia’s history. This honour now goes to the 17 July 2006, Java, Indonesia tsunami that had a run-up height of 7.90 m at Steep Point, Western Australia. Although estimated wave heights of 40 feet (~13 m) were noted for the 8 April 1911 event at Warrnambool, Victoria, no run-up data were provided and so its full effects remain uncertain. One of the more interesting findings has been the occurrence of at least 11deaths, albeit for events that are generally poorly defined.
Data gathered during the construction of this database were rigorously reviewed and as such several previous paleotsunami entries have been removed and other potentially new ones discarded. The reasons for inclusion or exclusion of data are discussed and it is acknowledged that while there has been an almost three-fold increase in the number of entries, the database is still incomplete. With this in mind the database architecture has been brought in line with others in the region with the ultimate goal of merging them all in order to provide a better understanding of the national and regional tsunami hazard (and risk) and to move towards an open source Australasian database.
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Keywords
Data base management, Tsunamis, Australia, Hazards, Risk assessment, Errors
Citation
Goff, J., & Chagué-Goff, C. (2014). The comprehensive Australian Tsunami Database – just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water. Presentation to the Australian Earth Sciences Convention 2014 (AESC 2014), 22nd Geological Convention, Newcastle NSW, 7-10 July 2014, (pp. 178). Retrieved from: http://aesc2014.gsa.org.au/assets/Various-reg-partner-opp-workshop-summ-/AESC-Abstract-Proceedings.pdf