May Gravity detect Tsunami ?

Abstract

The present gravitational wave detectors are reaching lowest metric deviation fields able to detect galactic and extra-galactic gravitational waves, related to Supernova explosions up to Virgo cluster. The same gravitational wave detector are nevertheless almost able to reveal, in principle, near field Newtonian gravitational perturbations due to fast huge mass displacements as the ones occurring during largest Earth-Quake or Tsunami as the last on 26nd December 2004 in Asiatic area. Virgo and Ligo detector are unfortunately recording on high frequencies (above tens Hz) while the signal of the Tsunami lay at much lower range (below 0.1 Hz). Nevertheless prompt gravitational near field deformation by the Tsunami might reach the future LISA threshold sensitivity and frequency windows if such an array is located nearby (3000-10000) km distances. Unfortunately the present LISA system should be located at Lagrange point too far (1.5 million km. far away). We note however that the later continental mass rearrangement and their gravitational field assessment on Earth must induce, for Richter Magnitude 9-like Tsunami, a different terrestrial inertia momentum and a different principal rotation axis. In conclusion we remind that gravitational geodetic deviation on new precise satellites (GOCE 2006), assisted by GPS network, might nevertheless reach in the near future the needed threshold and accuracy to reveal Tsunami by their prompt tidal gravity field deviations . An array of such geoid detector maybe correlated with LISA-like satellite on Earth orbits may offer the fastest alarm system.