Alaska’s near-record landslide tsunami sent a wave 1,580 feet up the fjord walls – and left clues for building a warning system
- Written by Michael E. West, Director of the Alaska Earthquake Center and State Seismologist, University of Alaska Fairbanks
The Tracy Arm landslide sent a tsunami wave far up the opposite side of the fjord near South Sawyer Glacier.John Lyons/U.S. Geological SurveyOn 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...