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Publication 
Tsunami Atlas for the Coasts of the United States 
Brandsma, M., et al., TC-486, NUREG/CR-1106 
Publication Date: November 1979 
Location: 19 Pacific coast sites ranging from 31° N (Punta 
Colnett, Mexico) to 48° N (Cape Flattery, Wash.) 
and 27 Atlantic coast sites ranging from 25° N 
(Cape Sable, Fla.) to 44° N (Bay of Fundy, 
Maine) 
Contents: This report presents hypothetical tsunamis generated by large- 
magnitude earthquakes. The results, which consist primarily of wave traces at 
offshore stations in 600 ft of water, show that potential tsunami hazard 
exists along the US Pacific coast and Atlantic coast. 
The results are intended as the first step of design calculations for 
coastal installations at specific sites. The computations used a canonical 
tsunami source somewhat larger than any known to have occurred and are the 
result of worst-case computations. 
The atlas lists hypothetical tsunamis arriving offshore of each station. 
They are listed in order of maximum wave displacement from the still water 
level. Water displacement, hypothetical generation region, and the time taken 
to arrive from the region of generation are all given. Graphs of water 
displacement versus time after first wave arrival are included for the larger 
tsunamis. 
Miscellaneous data include maps of continental plates, ocean areas 
capable of generating large tsunamis, and distribution of world earthquakes 
occurring between 1961 and 1967 at depths of less than 100 km. 
Available From: GPO Sales Program 
Division of Technical Information 
and Document Control 
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
Washington, DC 20555 
or 
National Technical Information Service 
US Department of Commerce 
5285 Port Royal Road 
Springfield, VA 22161 
(703) 487-4650, FITS 737-4650 
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