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Article Dans Une Revue Marine Geology Année : 2023

Sedimentary evidence of tsunamis in New Caledonia, southwest Pacific

Raphael Paris
Jean Roger
  • Fonction : Auteur

Résumé

This study aims to identify tsunamis in the coastal sedimentary archives of New Caledonia (Grande Terre and the Loyalty Islands) in the southwest Pacific, to extend a relatively short historical tsunami record (150 years), and to bring more constraints on the frequency of the main tsunamigenic earthquakes in the region. Using a combination of sedimentary and geochemical approaches on sediment core samples, we document three types of deposits related to marine inundation: (1) bioclastic sand layers; (2) crypto-deposits with a marine chemical signature; and (3) accumulations of rounded pumice lapilli. Most of the sampling sites being located outside the morpho-dynamic impact zone of the cyclones, a tsunami origin is preferred. The spatial distribution of the deposits suggests tsunami runups exceeding 2.5 m a.s.l. on the northeastern coast of Grande Terre, 6 m on the eastern coast of Maré Island, and 10 m on the northeastern coast of Lifou Island. Finally, at least six tsunamis were preserved in the sedimentary record: one event soon after 1000 BCE, two events during the first millennium CE, and at least three events during the last millenium (including a 15th century tsunami, the 28 March 1875 tsunami, and a tsunami possibly related to the 1729 earthquake in Vanuatu).
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Dates et versions

insu-04197033 , version 1 (16-02-2024)

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Raphael Paris, Bernard Pelletier, Jean Roger, Patrick Wassmer, Pierre Sabatier. Sedimentary evidence of tsunamis in New Caledonia, southwest Pacific. Marine Geology, 2023, 463, ⟨10.1016/j.margeo.2023.107116⟩. ⟨insu-04197033⟩
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