Distinguishing Tsunami from Storm Deposits in Eastern North America: The 1929 Grand Banks Tsunami versus the 1991 Halloween Storm

Other| January 01, 2004 Distinguishing Tsunami from Storm Deposits in Eastern North America: The 1929 Grand Banks Tsunami versus the 1991 Halloween Storm Martitia P. Tuttle; Martitia P. Tuttle M. Tuttle &Associates 128 Tibbetts Lane Georgetown, ME 04548 mptuttle@earthlink.net (M.P.T.) Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Alan Ruffman; Alan Ruffman Geomarine Associates, Ltd. P.O. Box 41, Station M Halifax, NS Canada B3J 2L4 (A.R.) Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Thane Anderson; Thane Anderson Canadian Museum of Nature Box 3443, Station D Ottawa, ON Canada K1P 6P4 (T.A.) Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Hewitt Jeter Hewitt Jeter Mass Spec Services Division of Geonuclear, Inc. Orangeburg, New York 10962 (H.J.) Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Martitia P. Tuttle M. Tuttle &Associates 128 Tibbetts Lane Georgetown, ME 04548 mptuttle@earthlink.net (M.P.T.) Alan Ruffman Geomarine Associates, Ltd. P.O. Box 41, Station M Halifax, NS Canada B3J 2L4 (A.R.) Thane Anderson Canadian Museum of Nature Box 3443, Station D Ottawa, ON Canada K1P 6P4 (T.A.) Hewitt Jeter Mass Spec Services Division of Geonuclear, Inc. Orangeburg, New York 10962 (H.J.) Publisher: Seismological Society of America First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1938-2057 Print ISSN: 0895-0695 © 2004 by the Seismological Society of America Seismological Research Letters (2004) 75 (1): 117–131. https://doi.org/10.1785/gssrl.75.1.117 Article history First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Martitia P. Tuttle, Alan Ruffman, Thane Anderson, Hewitt Jeter; Distinguishing Tsunami from Storm Deposits in Eastern North America: The 1929 Grand Banks Tsunami versus the 1991 Halloween Storm. Seismological Research Letters 2004;; 75 (1): 117–131. doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/gssrl.75.1.117 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietySeismological Research Letters Search Advanced Search Abstract Tsunami deposits related to the 1929 Grand Banks earthquake and washover deposits related to the 1991 Halloween storm differ in their sedimentary characteristics and positions on the landscape. Regarding sedimentary characteristics, the tsunami deposits are composed of one to three subunits of massive to fining-upward, very coarse- to fine-grained sand, whereas the storm deposits consist of interbedded and laminated coarse-, medium-, and fine-grained sand, exhibiting delta foreset stratification and subhorizontal, planar stratification with channels. Regarding landscape position, the tsunami deposits occur up to 343 m inland, including landward of tidal ponds, and up to 6 m above mean sea level, as well as 3 m above the barrier-beach bars and related dunes; the wash-over deposits occur up to 94 m inland, immediately landward of barrier-beach bars and in adjacent tidal ponds, and up to 1.2 m above mean sea level but no higher than the barrier-beach bars. These observations compared with those from other studies form the basis of proposed criteria for distinguishing paleotsunami from paleostorm deposits in the geologic record. If paleotsunami deposits can be identified with confidence, they will contribute to assessment of tsunami and seismic hazards along the coast of eastern North America and elsewhere. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.