Focusing of Tsunami Energy at Imwon Port

Abstract

In the last few decades, several catastrophic tsunamis triggered by undersea earthquakes have occurred and struck not only neighboring but also distant coastal communities around the world. These tsunamis have caused a large number of human casualties and severe property damage. In this study, a geographical feature of the Imwon Port located at eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula, is investigated by studying a group of historical and virtual tsunamis caused by 3 historical and 11 virtual undersea earthquakes suggested by KEDO (1999). In addition, the effectiveness of the wave ray model is then examined by estimating tsunami heights at specific positions. Finally, the location of wave energy focusing is predicted by estimating tsunami heights and wave ray tracing, and whether the location is right is reconfirmed by the actual particle velocity vector map. The results of this study shall be used by a civil defense authority to mitigate the tsunami hazards in the case of a real tsunami attack.