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...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Tsunami Society International
2008-01-01
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Series: | Science of Tsunami Hazards |
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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. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-13T18:03:28Z |
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id | doaj.art-5e9e4d85ff934a2ebb568cb09b66aa13 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 8755-6839 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-13T18:03:28Z |
publishDate | 2008-01-01 |
publisher | Tsunami Society International |
record_format | Article |
series | Science of Tsunami Hazards |
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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