Revista geológica de América central ISSN Impreso: 0256-7024 ISSN electrónico: 2215-261X

OAI: https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/geologica/oai
The 22 April 1991 Limón, Costa Rica tsunami field survey
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Supplementary Files

Appendix 1: Coco Solo (Cristobal), Panama (PDF)
Appendix 1: Mayaguez Island, Puerto Rico (PDF) (Español (España))
Appendix 1: Limetree Bay, Virgin Islands (PDF) (Español (España))
Appendix 2: Photographs and questionnaire responses locations (KML) (Español (España))

Keywords

Caribbean Tsunamis
1991 Costa Rica Earthquake and Tsunami
Tsunami Questionnaire
Field Records and Observations
Limón
Bocas del Toro
tsunamis del Caribe
terremoto y tsunami de Costa Rica de 1991
cuestionario de tsunami
registros y observaciones de campo
Limón
Bocas del Toro

How to Cite

Nishenko, S., Camacho, E., Astorga, A., Morales, L. D., & Preuss, J. (2021). The 22 April 1991 Limón, Costa Rica tsunami field survey. Revista geológica De América Central, 65, 1–16. Retrieved from https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/geologica/article/view/47001

Abstract

A small tsunami (tsunami magnitude, m ~ 1) was observed following the 22 April 1991 Mw 7.7 Limón, Costa Rica earthquake along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and Panama. This report summarizes eyewitness observations from 26 sites along 150 km of affected coast from Rio Matina, Costa Rica to Bocas del Toro, Northwestern Panama, as well as tide gauge recordings from Panama, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. No emergency warnings were issued before the tsunami occurred. While little or no tsunami-related property damage was reported, two or more drownings were attributed to the tsunami. The maximum runup/wave height was reported to be 2 to 3 m, and inundation and coastal flooding extended up to 100 m inland in some locations. Both coseismic coastal uplift and the presence of fringing offshore reefs appear to have provided protection against major runup effects in some coastal areas. Elsewhere, runup effects were amplified at river mouths due to differential compaction of unconsolidated sediments. Widespread tsunami sand deposition near the Costa Rica-Panama border in 1991 is similar to deposition associated with the 7 May 1822 earthquake and tsunami.

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