Risk assessments and geochemical discrimination of tsunami sediments in Sendai and Shizuoka Plains, Pacific coast, Japan

Abstract

Geochemical studies of modern and past-tsunami sediments were performed to detect a tsunami invasion proxy. In this study, the modern tsunami sediments from the Pacific coast of Tohoku area, Japan (March.11th, 2011), have been analyzed by EDXRF and ICP-MS. In addition, past-tsunami sediments were also taken from the coastal area of Japan (Jogan, ca. 1100 BP; Yayoi, ca. 2000 BP; Sizuoka, ca. 3000 BP) in order to establish a novel method for the geochemical discrimination of invisible tsunami layers, such as mud and thin sand layers.