Manifestation of the 2011 Great Tohoku Tsunami on the Coast of the Kuril Islands: A Tsunami with Ice

摘要

The tsunami generated by the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake (M_ w = 9.0) reached maximum heights of about 5 m along the coast of the Kuril Islands. The most essential feature of this event was sea ice about 0.5 m thick moved by the ocean water. The tsunami did not cause any essential damage on the Kuril Islands, but significantly affected coastal zones and produced interesting effects. The problem of a tsunami accompanied by marine ice is discussed and illustrated with photos.