%0 Journal Article %T DID A SUBMARINE SLIDE TRIGGER THE 1918 PUERTO RICO TSUNAMI? %A Matthew J. Hornbach %A Steven A. Mondzie %A Nancy R. Grindlay %A Cliff Frohlich %J Science of Tsunami Hazards %D 2008 %I Tsunami Society International %X 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. %K tsunami %K tsunami 1918 %K earthquakes %K tsunami Puerto Rico %K tsunami generation %K submarine slide %U http://tsunamisociety.org/272Hornbach.pdf