Identifying tsunami deposits using bivalve shell taphonomy

Research Article| March 01, 2008 Identifying tsunami deposits using bivalve shell taphonomy S.V. Donato; S.V. Donato 1School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar E.G. Reinhardt; E.G. Reinhardt 1School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J.I. Boyce; J.I. Boyce 1School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar R. Rothaus; R. Rothaus 2Saint Cloud State University, 720 Fourth Avenue South, Saint Cloud, Minnesota 56301, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar T. Vosmer T. Vosmer 3Office of the Adviser to His Majesty the Sultan for Cultural Affairs, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information S.V. Donato 1School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada E.G. Reinhardt 1School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada J.I. Boyce 1School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada R. Rothaus 2Saint Cloud State University, 720 Fourth Avenue South, Saint Cloud, Minnesota 56301, USA T. Vosmer 3Office of the Adviser to His Majesty the Sultan for Cultural Affairs, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 21 Aug 2007 Revision Received: 28 Oct 2007 Accepted: 05 Nov 2007 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 The Geological Society of America, Inc. Geology (2008) 36 (3): 199–202. https://doi.org/10.1130/G24554A.1 Article history Received: 21 Aug 2007 Revision Received: 28 Oct 2007 Accepted: 05 Nov 2007 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation S.V. Donato, E.G. Reinhardt, J.I. Boyce, R. Rothaus, T. Vosmer; Identifying tsunami deposits using bivalve shell taphonomy. Geology 2008;; 36 (3): 199–202. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G24554A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract On 28 November 1945, in the Makran trench off Pakistan, a large earthquake (8.1 Mw) produced a tsunami that struck the coast of Oman and left a taphonomically distinct shell bed in Sur Lagoon. The shell bed was thick (5–25 cm) and laterally extensive, covering a >1 km2 area. The shell assemblage from the deposit contained a mean of 59% for articulated bivalves of allochthonous offshore and subtidal species (e.g., Tellina palatam) as well as a mean of 20% for lagoonal species, indicating large-scale erosion and transport. Taphonomic traits (e.g., articulation, rounding, fragment angularity) of all bivalve material >5.6 mm were quantified for eight sample horizons, and compared with a tsunamite from Caesarea, Israel. Some of the taphonomic characteristics between the shell beds from these two different depositional settings were similar, and three tsunamigenic specific traits were identified: (1) thickness and lateral extent of the shell deposit, (2) presence of allochthonous articulated bivalves out of life position, and (3) extensive angular fragmentation. These results show that tsunamis form shell accumulations and cannot be ignored when assessing shell bed origin for the geological record. When these three traits are collectively found, a tsunamigenic origin should be considered for the shell bed. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.