Submarine landslide scars, including the huge Hinlopen–Yermak slide-scar north of Svalbard (Fig. 1) (Vanneste et al. 2006; Winkelmann et al. 2006), are relatively common geomorphological features on glaciated continental margins. However, landslide characteristics, for example scar area, run-out and displaced volume, vary significantly (Hogan et al. 2013). A key pre-condition for failure is rapid deposition of mainly diamictic glacier-derived sediment on the slope during full-glacials, alternating with fine-grained interglacial deposition. This layered architecture, and the varying geotechnical properties of the debris, facilitate downslope mass-movements with a variety of possible triggers