Misattributed tsunami: Chile, Sumatra and the subduction model

Tsunami intensity is poorly correlated with earthquake magnitude. The distribution of aftershocks that immediately followed the 2010 Maule (Chile), the 2004 Sumatra–Andaman and the 2005 Nias (Indonesia) events supports the view that faulting within an accretionary wedge or an outer rise can sometimes disrupt the seafloor more effectively than a megathrust even if the associated seismicity is minor. Monitoring offshore faults would thus seem an effective way to supplement modes of tsunami early warning which hinge on instrumental earthquake detection or wave height and period.