The 1867 Virgin Island tsunami: observations and modeling

The 1867 Virgin Island tsunami was of a great effect for the Caribbean Islands. A maximal tsunami height of 10 m was recorded for two coastal locations (Deshayes and St. Rose) in Guadeloupe. The historical data of this event for the Caribbean Sea are discussed. The modeling of the 1867 tsunami is performed in the framework of the nonlinear shallow-water theory. The four different orientations of the tsunami source in the Anegada Passage are examined. The directivity of the tsunami wave in the Caribbean is investigated. The time histories of water surface fluctuations are calculated for several coastal locations on the coasts of the Caribbean Sea. Results of the numerical simulations are in reasonable agreement with data of observations.