A tsunami is a series of ocean waves that sends surges of water, sometimes reaching heights of over 100 feet 30. Each 12 miles 19 km long and 1 mile wide with and elevation. At the head of lituya bay, alaska, on july 10, 1958, an earthquake of magnitude 7. The biggest tsunami recorded was 1,720 feet tall and chances are. It doesnt make any warning when to occur but whenever there is an earthquake, people who live near the coast already knew they would run for safety soon. Landslide displaced enough water to create a gravity near the crest of fairweather mountains are the lituya and north crillon glaciers.
Metaphorical monster notwithstanding, lituya bay became a common stop for fishing boats, as it was the only refuge from nature to be found for a hundred miles. Megatsunami lituya bay the mega tsunami of 9 july 1958 in. In fact, lituya bay is the only secure anchorage along more than 100 miles of. Popular tsunami books meet your next favorite book. Pdf lituya bay landslide impact generated megatsunami 50th. This was the largest earthquake in alaska since the quake in yakutat, near lituya bay, in 1899. A tsunami could also theoretically cause such destruction, but the. The wave crashed against the opposite shoreline and ran upslope to an elevation of 1720 feet, removing trees and vegetation the entire way. The lituya bay impact landslide generated tsunami was modeled with the full navier. The largest recorded tsunami in the world occurred in lituya bay alaska in 1958. Ive noticed similar articles were titled,x earthquake and tsunami with coordinates of epicenter on the top.
Surviving the biggest wave ever by dave kiffer sitnews. Definitely one of the science facts that show how nature is terrifying. It was caused by a magnitude 8 quake which caused a massive landslide. While surveying a remote fjord known as lituya bay, miller found that the dense. The height of the wave was 516 meters 1,720 feet high. Jan 29, 2017 alaskas lituya bay had been used for many years as a temporary shelter for boats traveling the eastern pacific, but no one lives there permanently. Historic earthquakes, lituya bay alaska the economy deaths and injuries a total of 5 people were killed in the tsunami. Similarly, fault displacement could not have been an important contributing mechanism to the generation of the giant wave that reached the 1,720 ft. The latest and largest of these waves washed out trees to a maximum altitude of. Pdf modeling the 1958 lituya bay megatsunami, ii researchgate. Japan earthquake, tsunami, nuclear crisis march 2011. Presently a tidal wave can achieve a tallness of 100 feet 30. A landslide in lituya bay, alaska on july 9, 1958 occurred when an 8.
Nov 10, 2016 simulation of the lituya bay tsunami generated by the 1958 alaska earthquake. The tallest wave ever recorded was a local tsunami, triggered by an earthquake and rockfall, in lituya bay, alaska on july 9, 1958. Mar 17, 2011 the worlds biggest tsunami struck the remote lituya bay in alaska on july 9, 1958. Lituya bay earthquake alaska july 10, 1958 devastating. Please support cool kid facts by emailing or sharing. In fact, the local tlingit people told the legend of a monster at the mouth of the bay who shook the ocean to send huge waves. Interesting facts fun page 12 of 14 amazing facts with a. Worlds biggest tsunami 1720 feet tall lituya bay, alaska. Next, test your knowledge of tsunamis by taking our tsunami quiz all answers can be found on this page. It was 1,720 ft high, taller than any structure in the world at the time. Impact a total of five people were killed in the event.
The local tsunami, which generated waves as high as 50 feet, caused extensive damage to the kamchatka peninsula and the kuril islands, and left an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people dead. It also caused a rockfall in lituya bay that generated a wave with a maximum height of 1,720 feet the worlds largest recorded tsunami. The largest tsunami ever recorded occurred in lituya bay, alaska in 1958. A tsunami with a record runup height of 1720 feet occurred in lituya bay, alaska. A megatsunami is a tsunami with extremely high waves and is usually caused by a landslide. The unique geography of the bay amplifies waves to a terrifying extent.
Hammers, field bags, hand lenses, maps, books, hardness. It also caused a rockfall in lituya bay that generated a wave with a maximum height of. Wave by sonali deraniyagala, a tale for the time being by ruth ozeki, nation by terry pratchett, ghosts of the tsunami. Giant waves at lituya bay, alaska usgs publications repository. Hawaii california, oregon, washington, and alaska are the us states with the greatest risk of being hit by a tsunami. The biggest tsunami wave ever recorded measured 1,720 feet and took place on july 9, 1958, in lituya bay, on the southeast of alaska.
Similarly, fault displacement could not have been an important. The biggest mega tsunami hit lituya bay, alaska, in 1958 which created a herculean tsunami of a record 1,700 feet in height. As the wave swept through lituya bay, it was forced to rise up, reaching an estimated height of 1,720 feet on the other side of the bay, becoming a mega tsunami. The bay is south of yakutat and dry bays and is a remote part of glacier bay national park and preserve. Although one of the scariest tsunamis fact, it is only a miracle that mere two fatalities happened because of it. Pdf analysis of mechanism of tsunami generation in lituya bay. After an earthquake caused a landslide at the head of lituya bay, alaska, in july 1958, a massive tsunami was generated measuring over 524 metres in height, taller than the empire state building. These walls of water can cause widespread destruction when. Til the largest tsunami ever recorded hit lituya bay. Note the extent of the nonforested areas of land lining the shore of the bay, which marks the approximate reach of the tsunami s runup. Mar 20, 2016 the biggest tsunami in present times struck at lituya bay, alaska on july 9, 1958. Jun 07, 2015 how enormous do you think a typical wave gets at a shoreline. Lituya bay landslide impact generated megatsunami 50th anniversary article pdf available in pure and applied geophysics 1661.
Lituya bay mega tsunami usgs aerial photo of lituya bay taken after july 9, 1958 event. It came after a powerful earthquake that measured 8. This important physical aspect distinguishes a subaerial landslide, which usually. A novel pneumatic landslide generator was used to generate a highspeed granular slide. On the night of july 9, 1958, an earthquake along the fairweather fault in the alaska panhandle loosened about 40 million cubic yards 30. However, the most noteworthy recorded one was the 1958 lituya bay, alaska megatsunami with a recorded tallness of 1,719 feet 524. The kamchatka tsunami was generated by a magnitude 9. Well worth doing some further reading on that event. This article isnt titled earthquake so i propose no coordinates in the top and the bay coordinates in the text after, the narrow inlet of lituya bay, alaska, so every pair of coordinates will be described. In fact, thats what happened at the end of the last ice age, as casey explains.
Apr 06, 2011 often referred to as the largest tsunami ever recorded, a wall of water 1720 feet high surged over a spur of land at the head of lituya bay, alaska, following a rockslide at the head of lituya bay, alaska. With such a history of large waves, lituya bay should be considered as a. A megatsunami occurred at lituya bay, alaska, in 1958, creating the tallest tsunami ever recorded at 1,700 feet 534 m high. A fine little book about lituya bay, a stunningly beautiful nook of sea, ice, rock and rainforest just north of glacier bay alaska on the pacific coast in southeast alaska. Tsunamis are one of the most devastating natural disasters in the world. Pdf lituya bay landslide impact generated megatsunami. The largest earthquakegenerated tsunami in recorded history was 33 meters 108 ft. Til the largest tsunami ever recorded hit lituya bay, alaska in 1958. The wave was 516 meters in height, and taller than the empire st. Lituya bay, on july 9, 1958, were generated by a combination of disturbances triggered. The 1958 lituya bay earthquake occurred at july 9 at 22. Amazingly, despite the awesome height of the tsunami, only two fishermen operating in the bay were killed by it. This book made me understand the history of the bay, yet scared the.
The 1958 tsunami that ripped through lituya bay, a sleepy fjord near the. Brief history of early pioneering tsunami research part a. George pararascarayannis at tsunami society international. Famous examples of such tsunamis include the 1958 recordbreaking lituya bay tsunami, with a maximum runup altitude reaching 520 m, generated by a rockslide due to a mass failure of a flank of. Books about the 2004 tsunami in indonesia score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Fradkins history of sinisterly beautiful lituya bay is to. Sep 30, 2016 the tlingit people had a legend about lituya bay, one describing a monster who lived near the entrance of the bay, provoking enormous waves by grasping the water and shaking it like a sheet. Yes you read that right, it was classed as a mega tsunami and happened in lituya bay, alaska in 1958. The strikeslip earthquake took place on the fairweather fault and triggered a rockslide of 40 million cubic yards 30 million cubic meters and about 90 million tons into the narrow inlet of lituya bay, alaska. However, that was dwarfed by a megatsunami that struck lituya bay, alaska, on july 10, 1954, which annihilated vegetation up to 1,720 feet 524 meters. This was so big that it is known scientifically as a megatsunami. Tsunamis can be really dangerous, but its an interesting geography lesson too. Advanced warning systems, combined with community education, can reduce tsunami casualties. Journeys of great peril in lituya bay fradkin, philip l.