Massive Alaska megatsunami was second largest ever recorded
Researchers said 64 million cubic meters of rock collapsed into the fjord and sent water 1,578 feet up the opposite wall.
- On Wednesday, researchers led by University of Calgary geomorphologist Daniel Shugar published a study in the journal Science reconstructing a mega-tsunami triggered by a massive landslide into Alaska's Tracy Arm Fjord on August 10, 2025.
- Rapid warming caused the South Sawyer Glacier to retreat about 500 metres, destabilizing the mountainside and unbuttressing 370 million metric tons of rock that collapsed into the fjord.
- The resulting wave reached about 481 metres, the second-highest run-up ever recorded, as debris fell 1,000 vertical metres into the deep, narrow fjord.
- Cruise lines have suspended routes into the fjord this year, while Shugar described the event as a "good wake up call" given the fortunate absence of vessels near the slide.
- Experts warn that continued glacier retreat and expanding tourism infrastructure increase the likelihood of future disasters, necessitating better slope monitoring and proactive policymaking to mitigate risks.
115 Articles
115 Articles
Alaska's near‑record landslide tsunami sent a wave 1,580 feet up the fjord walls
On the evening of Aug. 9, 2025, passengers on the Hanse Explorer finished taking selfies and videos of the South Sawyer Glacier, and the ship headed back down the fjord. Twelve hours later, a landslide from the adjacent mountain unexpectedly collapsed into the fjord, initiating the second-highest tsunami in recorded history.
A group of American scientists have revealed that a huge wave, in fact a megatsunami that was generated when an Alaskan mountain collapsed in the sea, is the second highest recorded in history.It happened last summer, when a giant wave swept away a remote fjord in southeast Alaska, razing everything it found in its wake.At that time the event went virtually unnoticed, but a new scientific analysis has now shown that it was caused by a massive la…
Huge tsunami in Alaska fjord was second
Tracy Arm Fjord, in southeastern Alaska within the Tongass National Forest, presents a majestic vista, with a narrow sea inlet surrounded by towering granite cliffs, waterfalls and glaciers. One morning last year, it also was the site of a powerful…
Winston-Salem Journal
News & RecordHuge 2025 tsunami in Alaska was second
Tracy Arm Fjord, in southeastern Alaska within the Tongass National Forest, presents a majestic vista, with a narrow sea inlet surrounded by towering granite cliffs, waterfalls and glaciers. One morning last year, it also was the site of a powerful…
The Megatsunami were the second largest in the history of the observations.
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