DID A SUBMARINE SLIDE TRIGGER THE 1918 PUERTO RICO TSUNAMI?

The 1918 tsunami that inundated northwest Puerto Rico with up to 6 m waves has been attributed to seafloor faulting associated with the 1918 Mona Canyon earthquake. During the earthquake a series of submarine cable breaks occurred directly off the northwest coast of Puerto Rico where the largest tsu...

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Main Authors: Matthew J. Hornbach, Steven A. Mondzie, Nancy R. Grindlay, Cliff Frohlich, Paul Mann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Tsunami Society International 2008-01-01
Series:Science of Tsunami Hazards
Subjects:
Online Access:http://tsunamisociety.org/272Hornbach.pdf
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author Matthew J. Hornbach
Steven A. Mondzie
Nancy R. Grindlay
Cliff Frohlich
Paul Mann
author_facet Matthew J. Hornbach
Steven A. Mondzie
Nancy R. Grindlay
Cliff Frohlich
Paul Mann
author_sort Matthew J. Hornbach
collection DOAJ
description The 1918 tsunami that inundated northwest Puerto Rico with up to 6 m waves has been attributed to seafloor faulting associated with the 1918 Mona Canyon earthquake. During the earthquake a series of submarine cable breaks occurred directly off the northwest coast of Puerto Rico where the largest tsunami waves came ashore. Here, we use a recently compiled geophysical data set to reveal that a 9 km long landslide headwall exists in the region where cable breaks occurred during the 1918 earthquake. We incorporate our interpretations into a near-field tsunami wave model to evaluate whether the slide may have triggered the observed 1918 tsunami. Our analysis indicates that this slide could generate a tsunami with phase, arrival times, and run-ups similar to observations along the northwest coast of Puerto Rico. We therefore suggest that a submarine slide offers a plausible alternative explanation for generation of this large tsunami.
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spelling doaj.art-5e9e4d85ff934a2ebb568cb09b66aa132022-12-21T23:36:08ZengTsunami Society InternationalScience of Tsunami Hazards8755-68392008-01-012722231DID A SUBMARINE SLIDE TRIGGER THE 1918 PUERTO RICO TSUNAMI?Matthew J. HornbachSteven A. MondzieNancy R. GrindlayCliff FrohlichPaul MannThe 1918 tsunami that inundated northwest Puerto Rico with up to 6 m waves has been attributed to seafloor faulting associated with the 1918 Mona Canyon earthquake. During the earthquake a series of submarine cable breaks occurred directly off the northwest coast of Puerto Rico where the largest tsunami waves came ashore. Here, we use a recently compiled geophysical data set to reveal that a 9 km long landslide headwall exists in the region where cable breaks occurred during the 1918 earthquake. We incorporate our interpretations into a near-field tsunami wave model to evaluate whether the slide may have triggered the observed 1918 tsunami. Our analysis indicates that this slide could generate a tsunami with phase, arrival times, and run-ups similar to observations along the northwest coast of Puerto Rico. We therefore suggest that a submarine slide offers a plausible alternative explanation for generation of this large tsunami.http://tsunamisociety.org/272Hornbach.pdftsunamitsunami 1918earthquakestsunami Puerto Ricotsunami generationsubmarine slide
spellingShingle Matthew J. Hornbach
Steven A. Mondzie
Nancy R. Grindlay
Cliff Frohlich
Paul Mann
DID A SUBMARINE SLIDE TRIGGER THE 1918 PUERTO RICO TSUNAMI?
Science of Tsunami Hazards
tsunami
tsunami 1918
earthquakes
tsunami Puerto Rico
tsunami generation
submarine slide
title DID A SUBMARINE SLIDE TRIGGER THE 1918 PUERTO RICO TSUNAMI?
title_full DID A SUBMARINE SLIDE TRIGGER THE 1918 PUERTO RICO TSUNAMI?
title_fullStr DID A SUBMARINE SLIDE TRIGGER THE 1918 PUERTO RICO TSUNAMI?
title_full_unstemmed DID A SUBMARINE SLIDE TRIGGER THE 1918 PUERTO RICO TSUNAMI?
title_short DID A SUBMARINE SLIDE TRIGGER THE 1918 PUERTO RICO TSUNAMI?
title_sort did a submarine slide trigger the 1918 puerto rico tsunami
topic tsunami
tsunami 1918
earthquakes
tsunami Puerto Rico
tsunami generation
submarine slide
url http://tsunamisociety.org/272Hornbach.pdf
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