This blog follows and explains the processes behind interesting geological events. My research shows how interesting things happen when they are brought. A megatsunami is a very large wave created by a large, sudden displacement of material into a body of water. Worlds biggest tsunami 1720 feet tall lituya bay, alaska. Megatsunamis have quite different features from other, more usual types of tsunamis. Diagram of the 1958 lituya bay megatsunami, which proved the existence of megatsunamis. Because this tsunami was an order of magnitude larger than typical tsunamis, and because it was caused by displacement of earth and ice rather than.
Tsunami is a relaxed, friendly, and engaging environment where the local and global converge. Create marketing content that resonates with prezi video. Notes on the geography and geology of lituya bay by j. Lituya bay, on the northeast shore of the gulf of alaska, is an icescoured tidal inlet with a maximum depth of 720 feet and. 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. The bay is south of yakutat and dry bays and is a remote part of glacier bay national park and preserve.
Nov 10, 2016 simulation of the lituya bay tsunami generated by the 1958 alaska earthquake. What are facts about the tsunami in lituya bay alaska. Historic earthquakes, lituya bay alaska the economy deaths and injuries a total of 5 people were killed in the tsunami. The importance of partial prior specifications for complex. In 2004, the indian ocean tsunami was caused by an earthquake with the energy of 23,000 atomic bombs. Lituya bays inlets are a case of this, increasing the wave. The biggest tsunami recorded was 1,720 feet tall and chances are good it will happen again. The lituya bay tsunami and landslide, which occurred in alaska in 1958, was. Usa alaska lituya bay 1958 source mechanism study of the earthquake and tsunami of july 8, 1958 in lituya bay. The entrance to lituya bay is extremely dangerous, and should only be attempted is short 10 to 20 minute periods of slack water, according to the united states coast pilot book series. It measured a record 1,720 feet high the biggest tsunami in the world. One of the more meaningful event occurred at lituya bay alaska, july 9, 1958, when a. 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. Note the extent of the nonforested areas of land lining the shore of the bay, which marks the approximate reach of the tsunamis runup.
A megatsunami wave was generated that washed out trees to a maximum altitude of. Wave by sonali deraniyagala, a tale for the time being by ruth ozeki, nation by terry pratchett, ghosts of the tsunami. The icy bay landslide on october 17, 2015 was larger than the amount of rock and soil that slid at lituya bay, but the lituya bay wave was larger because it fell from a higher elevation into deeper water. Megatsunami lituya bay the mega tsunami of 9 july 1958. Lituya bay is an arm of the much larger glacier bay in southeastern alaska and. Megatsunami lituya bay consequences one of the effects of the tsunami can be seen on the sides of the bay, where the trees were stripped away by the megatsunami. It came after a powerful earthquake that measured 8. Lituya bay mega tsunami usgs aerial photo of lituya bay taken after july 9, 1958 event.
It is the tale of ojiisan meaning grandfather, a wise old rice farmer who lived on a mountainside near the sea, a man who lives simply despite being the oldest and wealthiest person in his village. Asked in geography, tsunamis how many people were killed by the biggest tsunami ever. It consists of a narrow fjord some 12 km long and 23 km wide fig. Mar 30, 2014 the biggest tsunami recorded was 1,720 feet tall and chances are good it will happen again. A megatsunami is a tsunami with extremely high waves and is usually caused by a landslide. The megatsunami of july 9, 1958 in lituya bay, alaska.
Modeling the 1958 lituya bay megatsunami, ii article pdf available in science of tsunami hazards 205. The megatsunami runup to an elevation of 524 m caused total forest destruction. Worlds tallest tsunami a wellillustrated article at. Impact a total of five people were killed in the event. Sitnews surviving the biggest wave ever by dave kiffer. 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. Fradkin read a book about a remote bay on the gulf of. Lituya bay landslide impact generated megatsunami 50 th. The biggest tsunami that occurred hawaii happened in 1946, the coast of hilo island was hit with 30 ft waves at 500 mph. The writer became interested in the giant waves while. Lituya bay, alaska, caused an enormous tsunami estimated at 1,720 feet 524 meters tall. George pararascarayannis excerpts from presentation at the tsunami symposium of tsunami society of may 2527, 1999, in honolulu, hawaii, usa.
But the highest recorded one was the 1958 lituya bay, alaska megatsunami with a recorded height of 1,719 feet 524 meters. Earth science series presents fascinating facts and fun activities that will engage the budding earth scientist, while exploring the fields of geology, meteorology, ecology, and more. The tallest tsunami wave ever recorded was the lituya bay tsunami in alaska, which measured 1,720 ft. The 1958 lituya bay landslide and tsunami is a recent and welldocumented terrestrial. List of books and articles about tsunamis online research. Geol 105 reading assessment chapter 4 flashcards quizlet. A mega tsunami is a tsunami with extremely high waves and is usually caused by a landslide. Lituya bay landslide impact generated megatsunami 50th anniversary article pdf available in pure and applied geophysics 1661.
The most astonishing fact is that more than 200 supertankers, container. What caused the lituya bay tsunami and what were the. Discover the ways that tsunamis form, the destruction they can cause, and what scientists and communities are doing to better prepare for them. Selection of our books indexed in the book citation index. The tallest wave ever recorded was a local tsunami, triggered by an earthquake and rockfall, in lituya bay, alaska on july 9, 1958. 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. Often referred to as the largest tsunami ever recorded, a wall of. The largest recorded tsunami in the world occurred in lituya bay alaska in 1958. Amazingly, despite the awesome height of the tsunami, only two fishermen operating in the bay were killed by it.
Twentyone of his men perished in the tidal current in the bay. 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. It is interesting to note at this point that the initial shape of the landslide. Pdf landslides and tsunamis predicted by incompressible. A tsunami could also theoretically cause such destruction, but the boundary was much farther upshore than any tsunami in recorded history. Mar 20, 2016 the biggest tsunami in present times struck at lituya bay, alaska on july 9, 1958. Lituya bay is located in the very southwest of alaska figure 1.
The word tsunami or harbourwave comes from the japanese word tsu, which means harbour and nami which means wave. Three glaciers drape down the slopes and feed into the bay. 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. 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 1958 tsunami that ripped through lituya bay, a. A tsunami is a longperiod, highenergy wave capable of destroying and killing.
The unique geography of the bay amplifies waves to a terrifying extent. Amazingly, despite the awesome height of the tsunami, only. Jul 09, 2008 lituya bay is located in the very southwest of alaska figure 1. 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. The wave was 516 meters in height, and taller than the empire st. Very well organized and full of interesting information.
But evidence for multiple prior events in lituya bay suggests that giant waves occur there every 3040 years on average, so the 1958 event is quite unlikely to be the last. Usa gulf of alaska 1964 source mechanism study of the alaska earthquake and tsunami of march 27, 1964. M 9 earthquake triggered a 10 m tsunami up to 40 m high in certain locations, which caused the meltdown of 3 nuclear reactors and killed more than 20,000 people in a country that has. In fact, alaskas volcanoes erupt so frequently that it is almost guaranteed that an.
Lituya bay 50 years on the landslide blog agu blogosphere. An interesting side note is that the great majority of our beautiful bookshelves and fixtures come from recycled sources, including reclaimed bleacher boards from over 20 school gymnasiums throughout the great northwest. Pdf lituya bay landslide impact generated megatsunami 50th. The biggest tsunami recorded was 1,720 feet tall and. At the head of lituya bay, alaska, on july 10, 1958, an earthquake of magnitude 7. The mega tsunami of july 9, 1958 in lituya bay, alaska. Miller abstract lituya bay, on the northeast shore of the gulf of alaska, is an icescoured tidal inlet with a maximum depth of 720 feet and. The largest tsunami ever recorded in lituya bay occurred on july 9, 1958, when an earthquake shook a 400,000squaremile 1 millionsquarekilometer area and caused 90 million tons 82 million metric tons of rock to fall into the bay from 0.
As of 2016, no subsequent megatsunamis have been observed in that location. 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. The wave crashed against the opposite shoreline and ran upslope to an elevation of 1720 feet, removing trees and vegetation the entire way. Journeys of great peril in lituya bay fradkin, philip l. This was the largest earthquake in alaska since the quake in yakutat, near lituya bay, in 1899. The worlds tallest tsunami lituya bay, alaska, 1958. Hawaii is always at great risk for a tsunami they get about 1 per year and a severe one every 7 years. Megatsunami lituya bay the mega tsunami of 9 july 1958 in. Mar 29, 2017 a megatsunami is a tsunami with extremely high waves and is usually caused by a landslide.
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. The 1958 lituya bay megatsunami remains the highest such wave in recorded history. The 1958 tsunami that ripped through lituya bay, a sleepy fjord near the gulf of alaska, was eight. Interesting facts and faq natural history museum of utah. When you first enter lituya bay, the first thing you notice is a partition along the shore, at a height of between 3060 feet 918 meters near the ocean, that separates new and old trees, and that marks where the tsunami stripped away the trees as it moved toward the ocean figure 2. 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. In fact, lituya bay is the only secure anchorage along more than 100 miles of gulf of alaska coast from just north of cape spencer to yakutat. Most tsunamis are caused by underwater tectonic activity. The western states seismic policy council wsspc is a regional earthquake consortium in the western states organized as a 501c3 nonprofit organization and is funded by the department of homeland securitys federal emergency management agency. The lituya bay impact landslide generated tsunami was modeled with the full navier. A mega tsunami occurred at lituya bay, alaska, in 1958, creating the tallest tsunami ever recorded at 1,700 feet 534 m high. If anyone wants to add the information, thats why some question it being a megatsunami, it makes the wave more extreme than if it was in open ocean kismetmiss talk 03. Single wave is the entire water mass particles follow elliptical paths orbits.
The history of japan encompasses the history of the islands of japanese people, spanning the ancient history of the region to the modern history of japan as a nation of state. The 1958 lituya bay earthquake occurred at july 9 at 22. Watch the story and hear the eyewitness accounts from the biggest tsunami in recorded history on that day in lituya bay, alaska. The landslide impacted the water at high speed generating a giant tsunami and the highest wave runup in recorded history. Lituya bay earthquake alaska july 10, 1958 devastating. The giant waves that rose to a maximum height of 1,720 feet 516 m at the head of lituya bay, on july 9, 1958, were generated by a combination of disturbances triggered by a large, 8. Which of the following describes the tsunami in lituya bay, alaska in 1958. This is a neat website for the classroom because many students in classrooms today have heard of the tsunami in japan, but many may have not heard of this record tsunami right here in alaska. Heres a cool link to information about the tsunami that hit lituya bay, alaska back in 1958. Also, based on the fact that there was measurable model input parameters from the physical surveys and considerable output derived from subsequent. Megatsunami lituya bay deaths from the event totaled five, with three being killed on khantaak island and two having. Advanced warning systems, combined with community education, can reduce tsunami casualties. 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.
Tsunami books has always been more than just an independent, locally owned bookstore. Lituya bay landslide impact generated megatsunami 50th. Pdf lituya bay landslide impact generated megatsunami. Hawaii california, oregon, washington, and alaska are the us states with the greatest risk of being hit by a tsunami. Simulation of the lituya bay tsunami generated by the 1958 alaska earthquake. Take a look at some interesting facts about the most deadly waves on the planet. The earliest recorded description of this bay is that of. A megatsunami occurred at lituya bay, alaska, in 1958, creating the tallest tsunami ever recorded at 1,700 feet 534 m high.