MARINE CONGLOMERATE AND REEF MEGACLASTS AT MAURITUS ISLAND: Evidences of a tsunami generated by a flank collapse of the PITON DE LA Fournaise volcano, Reunion Island?

Raphael Paris (1) , Karim Kelfoun (1) , Thomas Giachetti (2)

1 LMV - Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans
2 Department of Earth Sciences [Eugene OR]

Tsunamis related to volcano flank collapse are typically a high-magnitude, low frequency hazard for which evaluation and mitigation are difficult to address. In this short communication, we present field evidences of a large tsunami along the southern coast of Mauritius Island ca. 4400 years ago. Tsunami deposits described include both marine conglomerates and coral boulders up to 90 m³ (> 100 tons). The most probable origin of the tsunami is a flank collapse of Piton de la Fournaise volcano, Réunion Island.

Mots clés: Reunion Island; Mauritius Island; tsunami deposits; volcano flank failure

Domaines: Volcanologie; Milieux et Changements globaux

Raphael Paris, Karim Kelfoun, Thomas Giachetti. MARINE CONGLOMERATE AND REEF MEGACLASTS AT MAURITUS ISLAND: Evidences of a tsunami generated by a flank collapse of the PITON DE LA Fournaise volcano, Reunion Island?. Science of Tsunami Hazards, 2013, 32 (4), pp.281-291. ⟨hal-00871197⟩