EN
Tsunami deposits are often characterized by specific diatom assemblages, which may indicate sediment provenance and help identify paleotsunami deposits. In the present study diatom assemblages were studied in tsunami deposits left by the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, as well as in beach sediments, inner shelf marine sediments and freshwater ponds and streams. The assemblages in tsunami deposits had chaotic structure and consisted of species found in all the studied habitats, suggesting erosion of terrestrial and marine sediments by tsunami. The diatom frustules in tsunami deposits were generally rare and often damaged due to excessive wave force. The most common identified species were Amphora turgida Gregory, Cocconeis scutellum Ehrenberg, Diplomenora cocconeiformis (Schmidt) Blazé, Eunotogramma marinum (W. Smith) Peragallo (typical for benthos of marine and brackish environments), and taxa common in freshwaters, including Cyclotella ocellata Pantocsek, Cocconeis placentula Ehrenberg and Encyonema silesiacum (Bleish) D.G. Mann.