Scientists have recorded a megatsunami in Alaska nearly 500 meters high, which occurred after a rockfall into a fjord and became the second-highest such phenomenon in recorded history. This was reported by the BBC, according to UNN.
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The massive "megatsunami" wave that occurred when part of a mountain in Alaska collapsed into the sea is the second-highest ever recorded and serves as a reminder of the risks posed by melting glaciers, scientists say.
Last summer, a giant wave swept through a remote fjord in southeast Alaska, leaving destruction in its wake.
The event received almost no coverage at the time, but a new scientific analysis has shown that small earthquakes triggered a massive landslide.
About 64 million cubic meters of rock—equivalent to 24 Great Pyramids—fell into the water. The force of such a collapse into the fjord created a wave nearly 500 meters high in less than a minute.
Researchers say that only the timing of the event—the early hours—saved tourist cruise ships from catastrophe.
We know there were people there who were almost in the wrong place. I am very afraid that in the future we won't be so lucky,
These large waves, called megatsunamis, occur when a landslide caused by an earthquake or unstable rocks falls into the water. They are usually localized and weaken quickly.
Another type of tsunami occurs in the ocean and is caused by earthquakes or underwater volcanoes. They can travel thousands of kilometers and cause massive destruction, as in Japan in 2011.
The largest megatsunami occurred in the 1950s and exceeded 500 meters. This new one has become the second largest.
Higman arrived at the scene several weeks after the event in Tracy Arm and saw broken trees washed into the water and large sections of rock stripped of soil and vegetation.
Alaska is particularly vulnerable to megatsunamis due to its steep mountains, narrow fjords, and frequent earthquakes.
A new study published in the journal Science shows that glacier melting due to climate change is exacerbating such collapses.
Stephen Hicks of University College London said the glacier had previously "supported this part of the rock," and when it retreated, the slope was exposed, "allowing these rocks to suddenly collapse into the fjord."
He and his colleagues have been researching tsunamis for decades and are concerned about the situation.
They warn: "More people are now traveling to remote areas… but these are also dangerous places."
Researchers say the risk is increasing.
I am fairly confident that such phenomena are not just increasing slightly, but significantly," and that they could be "about 10 times more frequent than a few decades ago,
Scientists are calling for increased monitoring of hazardous zones in Alaska.