By University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & & Atmospheric Science
March 14, 2022
” Immediately, I realized that what we were looking at was the result of some geological force, which had broken the seafloor,” said Purkis.
Map of landslide website. Credit: Sam Purkis, Ph.D
. Purkis then started a scientific journey to read more about the gorge, and took rock samples, which exposed that it had been produced by a landslide that most likely occurred 500 years back. He was likewise able to find evidence from sediment gathered north of the chasm, which revealed that a tsunami was likely generated by the landslide.
The very first salt water pool observed about a mile underwater in the Gulf of Aqaba, where Purkis took sediment samples to prove that the landslide likewise prompted a tsunami. Credit: Photo thanks to OceanXplorer
The study, “Tsunamigenic Potential of an Incipient Submarine Landslide in the Tiran Straits,” released recently in the journal Geophysical Research Letters of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), anticipates that future movement of the seabed might activate more tsunami in the Gulf. The countries along its coasts– including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Israel– require to guarantee that early caution systems are in location for both earthquakes and tsunami.
University of Miami marine geosciences professor Sam Purkis, and biology professor Giovanni Chimienti, in addition to a submersible pilot, observe the chasm in the Gulf of Aqaba that was likely the outcome of a landslide 500 years ago. Credit: Photo courtesy of OceanXplorer
” Just a little shake in the entire wall and the incorrect location could stop working, leading to a much bigger tsunami than happened 500 years earlier,” Purkis said. “That area of Egypt, as well as Saudi Arabia, which are urbanizing so rapidly, have certain risks which have not been formerly acknowledged, however they require to be, to prevent a future catastrophe.”
Recommendation: “Tsunamigenic Potential of an Incipient Submarine Landslide in the Tiran Straits” by Sam J. Purkis, Steven N. Ward, Hannah Shernisky, Giovanni Chimienti, Arash Sharifi, Fabio Marchese, Francesca Benzoni, Mattie Rodrigue, Maureen E. Raymo and Ameer Abdulla, 3 February 2022, Geophysical Research Letters.DOI: 10.1029/ 2021GL097493.
The whole OceanXplorer research study voyage was moneyed by Neom, a company establishing the Saudi Arabian shoreline.
UM Rosenstiel School marine geosciences professor Sam Purkis, and biology professor Giovanni Chimienti, in addition to a submersible pilot, observe the gorge in the Gulf of Aqaba that was likely the result of a landslide 500 years back. Credit: Photo thanks to OceanXplorer
UM Rosenstiel School scientist Sam Purkis found proof of a 500-year-old landslide, and a large tsunami, that could have ramifications for coastline development of shorelines in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
An earth researcher from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science found proof of an ancient undersea landslide and associated tsunami in the Gulf of Aqaba, a subsidiary of the Red Sea, that need to serve as a caution for numerous nations in the Middle East.
Professor Sam Purkis on the OceanX research vessel in 2020. Behind him is a robot submersible, one tool utilized to gather samples in the depths of the ocean. Credit: Photo courtesy of OceanXplorer
Sam Purkis, professor and chair of the Department of Marine Geosciences, spent four weeks aboard the OceanXplorer research vessel in the region. As he and a fellow researcher were ascending from 3,000 feet during a submersible dive, Purkis noticed a shocking break in the seabed. It was an unforeseen discover, although not out of the concern for the Red Sea, which was formed by the separation of the African and Arabian tectonic plates 30 million years back.
Teacher Sam Purkis on the OceanX research vessel in 2020. Sam Purkis, teacher and chair of the Department of Marine Geosciences, spent 4 weeks aboard the OceanXplorer research vessel in the region. As he and a fellow researcher were ascending from 3,000 feet during a submersible dive, Purkis discovered a shocking break in the seabed. Credit: Sam Purkis, Ph.D
. Purkis then began a scientific journey to find out more about the gorge, and took rock samples, which exposed that it had been developed by a landslide that likely took place 500 years earlier.