Project Details
Projekt
Reconnaissance of sedimentary tsunami archives in Albania
Subject Area
Geology
Physical Geography
Physical Geography
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 560303013
Tsunami hazards from seismic or volcanic sources in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean are well-studied and documented in paleoseismological and tsunami databases. In this context the Adriatic Plate is known as a tectonically active region causing earthquakes and tsunamis. Yet, no information from geological and sedimentological records on the recurrence of seismically induced tsunamis is available for Balkan countries, including Albania. The lack of or inconsistencies in field-based data on tsunamis has led to dramatic disasters in the past, as shown by the lack of knowledge before the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami or the underestimation of the hazard potential prior to the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Tsunami. Field-based synoptic observations are indispensable for establishing tsunami hazard scenarios and models. To achieve this, multi-proxy approaches, including sedimentological, geochemical, geophysical, and geochronological techniques, have proven successful in deciphering tsunamiites from sedimentary records to reconstruct the recurrence and intensities of past tsunamis. This project aims to (A) investigate sedimentary archives along the Albanian coastline applying a multi-proxy approach to identify tsunamiites; (B) reconstruct temporal recurrence intervals and spatial distribution of these tsunamiites; (C) correlate detected event layers to known events from adjacent regions in Greece and southern Italy; and (D) providing first field-based data to improve the accuracy of advanced modeling tools and geohazard scenarios. These primary objectives shall verify our hypothesis that the coastlines of the Adriatic Sea have been affected by past tsunamis, are currently facing a yet unquantified tsunami hazard, and that field-based data will improve our understanding and modeling capabilities of seismically induced tsunami recurrence along the eastern Adriatic Plate margin. This research project integrated into the SPP “DEFORM” by providing field-based data on past tsunamis improving the determination of active fault zones onshore and offshore, providing a chronological framework of tsunamigenic paleoseismicity, and enhancing the potential for accurate modeling of tsunami hazard scenarios.
DFG Programme
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