ORIGINAL Comparing methods for computation of run-up heights of landslide-generated tsunami in the Northern Sicily continental margin Attilio Sulli 1,2,3 & Elisabetta Zizzo 1 & Ludovico Albano 1 Received: 9 January 2018 /Accepted: 30 July 2018 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract The North Sicily continental margin is a very active region located in the Central Mediterranean. Strong seismicity, active tectonics and volcanism, fluid escape, high sediment supply, and widespread mass movements historically have exposed this region to marine geohazards, with a potential for tsunami generation. Morpho-bathymetric analysis revealed that one of the most common mechanisms associated with marine geohazards is due to submarine mass failure processes, genetically linked to the other processes active in this margin. With the aim to assess the risks associated with landslide-generated anomalous waves, we selected two sectors of this margin, Gulf of Palermo to the west and Patti offshore to the east. The workflow included analysis of the morpho-bathymetric data, morphometric characterization, calculation of parameters of landslide-generated waves, and com- putation of run-ups by using different algorithms. Assuming that each of the identified landslides could be a potential tsunamigenic source, we calculated the associated theoretical run-ups, referring to the main computation methodologies proposed in the scientific literature. In order to identify the methodology that better suits run-up values for landslide-generated tsunami, we compared the known run-up values of actual, historical cases with those calculated through the different methodologies. The values obtained with the most suitable equation, both for theoretical and historical events, fit a curve that we used to formulate an empirical law describing the relationships between amplitude and depth, at the source point, and relative run-up. It can be used to calculate easily and promptly the run-up associated with a generic landslide-generated tsunami. Introduction Tsunamis are gravity-driven water waves, most of which gen- erated by vertical displacement of the seabed that propagates through the water column to the surface. The resulting elevat- ed surface wave collapses owing to gravity and then propa- gates outward from the source. Dispersion of the original wave generates a multiple wave train. Tsunamis are mainly (∼ 80%) generated by earthquakes, but alternative mechanisms include subaerial and submarine landslides and volcanic collapse and eruption (Tappin 2017). Their main features are represented by both the long wave- length (Charvet et al. 2013) and the height that can vary significantly from the open sea toward the coastal areas (Ezersky et al. 2013), giving the known destructive effect of tsunamis (e.g., the dramatic events in Indian Ocean 2004 and Japan 2011). Where the water depth gradually de- creases, the wave slows dramatically, becomes com- pressed, and grows steeper. Historically known events are referred to sensational episodes which registered signifi- cant values of run-up (Ru), accompanied by the highest risks with loss of life. The study of mechanisms generating tsunami is almost exclusively focused on seismic sources because of the presence of monitoring systems widespread on the ground that allow the phenomenon to be easily at- tributed to a seismic event, so it is a commonplace that tsunamis are generated mostly by earthquakes.. In recent decades, morpho-bathymetric and high-resolution seismic surveys of extensive marine areas made it possible to in- vestigate in detail the presence of large mass transport de- posits, and other morphological features attributed to tec- tonics, volcanism, and fluid seepage. * Attilio Sulli attilio.sulli@unipa.it 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare, Università di Palermo, Via Archirafi 22, 90123 Palermo, Italy 2 Istituto Nazionale Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143 Rome, Italy 3 CONISMA, URL Palermo, Via Archirafi 22, 90123 Palermo, Italy Geo-Marine Letters https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-018-0544-8