Geochemical Characteristics of Typhoon - and Tsunami - Induced Deposits from Western Kyushu Islands

Abstract:

Western Kyushu Island is a region of Japan frequently impacted by typhoon landfalls. This region is relatively tectonically stable with few active faults and therefore known for far fewer great earthquakes when compared to the Nankai Trough region. Only a few studies have examined the history of tsunamis impacting the region. Hence, studies from western Kyushu provide a unique opportunity to study tsunami deposits in a broader geographic context in order to delineate regional typhoon impacts. This study presents results from both modern analogue from Typhoon Neoguri in 2014 and legendary Kamikaze Typhoons from 13^th century.

The initial coring was conducted in 2010. Total of 9 sediment cores were collected from two natural freshwater lakes along the western coast of Kyushu: Lake Daija (32.248°N, 129.985°E) and Lake Kawahara (32.624°N, 129.831°E). In order to further understand the characteristics of typhoon deposits, we collected 4 additional sediment cores from Kawahara in July of 2014, approximately one week after landfall of Typhoon Neoguri. We use a multi-proxy approach to identify event deposits. These approaches include loss on ignition, X-Ray fluorescence, X-radiograph, grain size, magnetic susceptibility, and SEM/EDS analyses. Initial results yielded commonalities between the two lakes. Linear interpolation of the most prominent event deposits within multiple cores, presenting highs in Sr and Ca intensities, constrain the dates of deposits of interest to the late 13^th century—consistent with the Mongol invasions. Here we present preliminary geochemical results from Lake Kawahara, which further constrain the typhoon deposits, and use this as a reference event for comparison to tsunami deposits found in other regions.