Tsunami science

Summary

This research analyses tsunami inundation at Little Pigeon Bay in Banks Peninsula in the 2016 Kaikoura tsunami, where a cottage was damaged.

Researchers identified the inundation extent and flow direction for multiple tsunami surges, which show anomalously high run-up distances to a maximum of 140m inland. As Little Pigeon Bay is a small funnel-shaped embayment, these results can possibly be explained by the geomorphology and resonance of the bay focusing tsunami energy and increasing inundation extent and run-up.

Emergency management relevance

This research contributes to our understanding of how tsunamis behave around Banks Peninsula, and their impacts.

Additional information

Authors: Emily Lane, Jose Borrero, Colin Whittaker, Jo Bind, Catherine Chague-Goff, James Goff, Derek Goring, Jo Hoyle, Christof Mueller, William Power, Catherine Reid, James Williams, Shaun Williams

Date: 2017

Funders: NIWA Taihoro Nukurangi, Natural Hazards Research Platform and GNS Science

Format: Published - Pure and Applied Geophysics

Reference: Lane, E. M., Borrero, J., Whittaker, C. N., Bind, J., Chague-Goff, C., Goff, J., Goring, D., Hoyle, J., Mueller, C., Power, W. L., Reid, C. M., Williams, J. H., & Williams, S. P. (2017). Effects of inundation by the 14th November, 2016 Kaikōura tsunami on Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 174(5), 1855-1874. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-017-1534-x