Alaska tsunami was second largest in history
USA Today • • nation
Key Points:
- A massive tsunami struck Alaska's Tracy Arm Fjord on August 10, 2025, reaching a height of up to 1,578 feet, making it the second largest recorded tsunami in history.
- The tsunami, triggered by a climate change-driven landslide caused by glacier retreat, caused extensive ecological damage by stripping vegetation from steep rock walls but resulted in no reported injuries.
- Researchers measured the wave height by analyzing vegetation loss and determined that approximately 83 million cubic yards of rock collapsed in about one minute, displacing water through a confined fjord space.
- The event generated a seismic wave detected globally, highlighting the immense force of the landslide and resulting tsunami.
- The highest recorded tsunami occurred in 1958 in Lituya Bay, Alaska, reaching over 1,700 feet and was similarly triggered by a landslide.
