Tsunami Wave Generation by Glacier Motion

A tsunami wave was observed during experiments under ice in the Temple fjord (Spitsbergen) near the Tuna glacier descending from the mountains to the fjord. Two pressure sensors were installed under ice and the third was at the bottom at a distance of 280 m from the glacier front. The vertical displacement of the ice cover during the propagation of the wave reached 30 cm, while the period of the tsunami wave was 93 s. In addition, we recorded two more perturbations of the ice cover with periods of 10 and 14 s. Our measurements allowed us to estimate the Young's modulus of ice.