Onshore archives of tsunami deposits

The identification of paleotsunamis in the coastal geological record requires modern analogues to allow comparison. Much research has been undertaken recently on modern tsunami sedimentation patterns and processes. We describe here the principal coastal depositional settings in which modern (and older) finer-grained tsunami deposits have been identified. We then describe how this information on contemporary depositional processes has been used to identify ancient tsunami deposits in different stratigraphic contexts. We also highlight the importance of a range of different field methods that have been used to provide detailed information on the nature of tsunamis in (pre-)history.