Estimating Secondary Earthquake Aftershocks from Tsunamis

Nonlinear solitary waves influence the Earth’s crust because wave pressure on the ocean bottom contains non-hydrostatic components. Our physical-mathematical model allows us to calculate the surplus super-hydrostatic pressure on the Earth’s crust. It depends on the amplitudes of solitary waves and the depth of an ocean. The surplus wave pressure averages 50% from hydrostatic pressure on the shallow ocean shelves. Thus, the solitary wave’s tsunami class can provoke novel (repeated) earthquakes (or landslides) because surplus stresses affect the seismic focus. Theoretical results and experimental physical modeling of soliton waves have shown good agreement. A calculated example of the mega-tsunami in Lituya Bay and a described example of Dickson Fjord (AK, USA) indicate changes in the dynamic pressure after the onset of the tsunami. The presented studies demonstrate a first attempt at creating a numerical model of this phenomenon.