Tsunamis generated by fast granular landslides: 3D experiments and empirical predictors

Landslides falling into water bodies can generate impulsive waves, which are a type of tsunamis. The propagating wave may be highly destructive for hydraulic structures, civil infrastructure and people living along the shorelines. A facility to study this phenomenon was set up in the laboratory of the Technical University of Catalonia. The set-up consists of a new device releasing granular material at high velocity into a wave basin. A system employing laser sheets, high-speed and high-definition cameras was designed to accurately measure the high velocity and geometry of the sliding mass as well as the produced water displacement in time and space. The analysis of experimental data helped to develop empirical relationships linking the landslide parameters with the produced wave amplitude, propagation features and energy, which are useful tools for the hazard assessment. The empirical relationships were successfully tested in the case of the 2007 event that occurred in Chehalis Lake (Canada).