Numerical modeling of a landslide-generated tsunami following a potential explosion of the Montserrat volcano

The explosion of the Montserrat volcano (Caribbean Sea) could trigger a maj or landslide and lead to the generation of a tsunami in the Caribbean Sea. In the worst case scenario, the volume of material reaching the sea has bee n estimated at 80 millions of cubic meters. The sliding of this mass and th e generation of the associated tsunami have been simulated numerically, ass uming that the debris behave like a heavy fluid flowing into the sea. The n umerical model solves the 3D Navier-Stokes equations for a mixture composed of rocks and water. The generated water waves is then propagated around th e coast of Montserrat by means of a shallow water model. The numerical resu lts show that the water heights above sea level are higher than 5 meters wi thin a radius of 5 km of the source. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rig hts reserved.