| Summary: | A submarine landslide west of Spitsbergen could induce a destructive tsunami in the North Atlantic. Here we suggest an effective tool for early warning of tsunamis generated by huge underwater landslides. The method is based on the fact that a displacement of ~1000 km3 of sediment produces a permanent and detectable deformation of earth's lithosphere. We numerically model the ground tilting imposed by the hypothetical Spitsbergen landslide. Virtual inclinometers, positioned at the three distinct locations at Spitsbergen, show tilts up to 1000 nrad. The actual size of the submarine mass movement is assessable as soon as the sliding ceases, i.e. approximately after one hour, thus leaving another one hour warning time for northern Norway and two hours for Iceland and southern Norway.
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