RAPID: Tsunami Reconnaissance of the 27 February 2010 Chilean Tsunami and Earthquake in Chile and Pacific Islands

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The 27 February 2010 Chilean earthquake generated a large transpacific tsunami and controversy as to what some have referred to as overly conservative warning issued for Hawaii and Japan. We propose to conduct a rapid reconnaissance survey of the coastline of Chile and offshore islands of Santa Maria, Juan Fernandez and Easter, and the Marquesas in French Polynesia. The survey will interview eyewitnesses to determine the local tsunami kinematics, i.e., polarity of the first arrival, interval between waves and which wave in the train was the largest- and the societal response. The team will measure inundation distances and runup heights and will attempt to identify why the tsunami-related death toll in Chile is concentrated in a few specific locales. The questions that will be addressed include whether certain areas were tsunami traps and whether the observed runup height distribution around the Pacific was predictable, using existing numerical methods and forecast technology. The team will survey in the period between March 6 and March 24, since tsunami watermarks are highly ephemeral, and will coordinate closely with UNESCO, international and Chilean colleagues and their students.This award is co-funded by the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).