The Nice tsunami of 1979 came on October 16. Two tsunamis struck the coast near Nice, accompanied by a landslide at the Nice Airport, and an aseismic submarine landslide. The two waves struck the coast between the Italian border and the town of Antibes (60 miles; 96 km).[1] They reached 3 m high near Nice and 3.5 m[2] at La Salis (Antibes) and decreased in amplitude from there.
Causes
The origin of these events has been a subject of academic and judicial debate.[3] One hypothesis said that it was the landslide at the Nice airport; while the other stated that it was an underwater landslide.[4]
A 0.15 km3[5] slide took place off Nice airport while constructing the fill of the new airport, perhaps as a consequence of this work. This landslide would have caused the first tsunami. The material from this slide could have caused a submarine slide that would have caused the second tsunami.[4]
In the second hypothesis, the major natural submarine landslide (~8.7 km2) that occurred offshore Nice caused a tsunami which would have caused a landslide of the fill of the new airport. This landslide caused another tsunami.[4]
Consequences
Casualty estimates range between 8[2] and 23.[6] At the construction site, the collapsing fill killed seven people.[2]
The tsunamis inundated a 20-mile section of the coast.[7] The water travelled up to 150 m inland.[2] Eleven people were swept away in Nice and one in Antibes.[1] The airport works were finished, but this event forestalled the construction of a new port for Nice.
References
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