Tsunami from the San Andrés Landslide on El Hierro, Canary Islands: First Attempt Using Simple Scenario

This paper presents the first attempt to model a tsunami genesis and propagation from an incipient volcano slope failure termed San Andres Landslide located on the El Hierro Island, Canary Islands, Spain. A rather conservative landslide scenario compared to other studies is proposed. The scenario comprises a subaerial failure of a block more than 2.5 km long and 7.5 km wide with volume of almost 6 km3. The initial wave from this landslide reaches 80 m and its propagation through Atlantic Ocean has been modelled using DELFT 3D model. Results show that even a conservative scenario can have very severe consequences, especially in the adjacent islands. High to moderate waves are expected to affect also European SW and African NW coasts. As in any tsunami simulation however, the maximum slide speed is crucial for generating a tsunami wave. For that reason, future attempts should focus on more accurate landslide dynamic modelling to obtain realistic behaviour of the sliding mass to assess possible tsunami scenarios.