Comment on New simulations and understanding of the 1908 Messina tsunami for a dual seismic and deep submarine mass failure source by L. Schambach, ST Grilli, DR Tappin, MD Gangemi, G. Barbaro [Marine Geology 421 (2020) 106093]

In their paper Schambach et al. (2020) present a dual (seismic and landslide source) modelling of the 1908 Messina tsunami. Their contribution highlights the fact that a multiple source is required to model the 1908 tsunami event. However, both the seismogenic fault and the submarine mass failure adopted by Schambach et al. are geologically poorly constrained. Dual-source modelling can satisfactorily fit to observations but the source components should be based on geological ground. Various authors have explored the contribution of submarine landslides into the 1908 tsunami generation; it could also be of interest, however, to consider the possible tsunamigenic contribution of secondary faults.

Automated summary

Dual-source modeling is essential for simulating the 1908 Messina tsunami event and should be based on geological constraints. In addition to the contribution of submarine landslides, it is also worth considering the potential tsunamigenic impact of secondary faults.