Applications of geochemistry in tsunami research: a review

Much progress has been made since the first published studies of tsunami deposits nearly 30 years ago. Geochemistry is now a much more widely used proxy in tsunami research, mainly due to its increasingly recognised value in the identification of historical and/or prehistorical deposits, at times even providing the conclusive proof when other proxies are missing or equivocal, but also its significance in environmental impact assessments following recent tsunamis. The rapid advance in analytical techniques has also made it a more approachable and popular method, as it is now often faster and cheaper. Here we provide a review of the applications of geochemistry, including the techniques used, as well as a database of studies that used chemical proxies in their investigation of recent and old events, including onshore and offshore tsunami deposits. Chemical signatures are often used as markers of marine inundation, either as salinity indicators, where they can also allow the identification of the limit of tsunami inundation, or tracers of the incorporation of marine-sourced carbonates. Their applications as indicators of source material are nevertheless expanding, thereby potentially providing additional information on the hydrodynamic processes associated with tsunami inundation, although they are largely site-specific. The effects of post-depositional changes in different climatic regimes are examined, with a particular emphasis on water-leachable components and implications for post-event recovery of coastal ecosystems. We demonstrate the usefulness of chemical proxies in studies of the geological record of tsunamis extending back thousands of years, suggest new approaches and discuss limitations and existing knowledge gaps. © 2016, Elsevier B.V