Identification of Tsunami Deposits in the Geologic Record

Sediments deposited by tsunamis have been studied in the past as records of catastrophic events. The earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean region on Boxing Day 2004 and claimed around 200,000 lives highlighted the need to study the sedimentary record of past tsunamis to help with planning disaster mitigation measures in coastal areas threatened by tsunamis. To help with the description and assessment of paleo-tsunami records the USGS has published an Open-File Report

Peters, Robert, and Jaffe, Bruce E. (2010): Identification of tsunami deposits in the geologic record; developing criteria using recent tsunami deposits. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2010-1239, 39 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1239/.

This reminds me that I have not heard for a while about the "Mother of all Tsunamis" triggered by the Chicxulub impact. The field seems to have quieted down after 2008.