Avalanche in Tracy Arm, Alaska in August 2025 triggers second highest tsunami in recorded history

[Beringia]

Tracy Arm fjord tsunami in popular Alaskan cruise spot provides valuable lessons.

The Tracy Arm fjord is about 30 miles long, named after Benjamin Franklin Tracy, Secretary of the Navy from 1889 through 1893

UCalgary scientist Dan Shugar lead author of study published in the journal Science on megatsunami more than twice height of the Calgary Tower

https://ucalgary.ca/news/tracy-arm-fjord-tsunami-popular-alaskan-cruise-spot-provides-valuable-lessons

When part of a mountain in southeast Alaska slid into the ocean last summer, it triggered the second-highest tsunami ever recorded.

The tsunami on Aug. 10, 2025, ran 481 metres — two-and-a-half times the height of the Calgary Tower — up the wall of the Tracy Arm Fjord more than a kilometre away and generated a seismic signal equivalent to a magnitude 5.4 earthquake.

Despite its massive size, no one was caught in the wave because it hit around 5:30 a.m.

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Wow ! I recall there were one or two other times when something like this happened in AK -- once a whole lake was ...

displaced from its bed, drowning a campground. And I know one other happened out at sea, but don't remember the location.


Here we go (from Ecosia search):

https://earthquake.alaska.edu/60-years-ago-1958-earthquake-and-lituya-bay-megatsunami (Lituya Bay, 1958)

https://www.gi.alaska.edu/alaska-science-forum/giant-wave-icy-bay (Icy Bay, 2015)



https://earthquake.alaska.edu/about-tsunamis-alaska

[Beringia]

3. That is awesome

[nwliberalkiwi]

2. I was part of the Lituya Bay earthquake 1958

I was in Elfin Cove, 12 miles from the epicenter. July 4th I sat on a log with the Wagner's from the fishing vessel Sunmore. The night of the earthquake I heard the Sunmore live on the radio saying: "May day, mayday Oh my god...." This was their last call before their deaths. Very interesting story on the 1958 earthquake.

[Beringia]

4. That is some experience

[Beringia]

5. I was intrigued and looked up Orville Wagner and found an article on Damn Interesting

Great article and photos, and there is a podcast too




https://www.damninteresting.com/ten-minutes-in-lituya-bay/