Identifying the cause of the "ghost tsunami" up to 30m high in Alaska

Mysterious tsunami in Alaska caused by landslides, climate change and heavy rains. Scientists are investigating the reason for this event.

The Alaska Earthquake Center had previously received reports of a local tsunami in Endicott Arm on August 10. Waves of 3-5m high were reported near Harbor Island, while water levels rose to 30m on Sawyer Island. Photo: Mail Online.

Scientists have identified the cause of the mysterious "tsunami" that occurred in Southeast Alaska on August 10. Photo: Mail Online.

Scientists have identified the cause of the mysterious "tsunami" that occurred in Southeast Alaska on August 10. Photo: Mail Online.

“This is the largest landslide in Alaska in the past 10 years,” said Center Director Michael West. Photo: webpronews.com.

According to experts, landslides can cause tsunamis by pushing huge amounts of water out into the surrounding area. Photo: Caters.

“Events like this can be triggered by earthquakes, melting ice or heavy rain,” explains Dr. Alec Bennett of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Photo: Caters.

Part of the debris fell into Sawyer Glacier and the rest into Tracy Arm, creating a seiche, or trapped tsunami, which the Earthquake Center said could be the largest tsunami-generating landslide in Alaska since 2015. Photo: Caters.

Scientists compare this event to the Lituya Bay disaster in 1958, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake triggered a landslide, creating a super tsunami as high as 524m. Compared to the incident in 1958, the August 10 tsunami was much smaller but still a warning to humanity about the destructive power of nature. Photo: Caters.

“Fjords, lakes and estuaries are particularly vulnerable because it only takes one large enough mass of rock to raise the water in them,” said Dr Bennett, who warned that climate change, melting ice and extreme rainfall could make such events more frequent in the future. Photo: undark.org.

Readers are invited to watch the video : Behind the success of scientists. Source: VTV24.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/xac-dinh-nguyen-nhan-gay-song-than-ma-cao-toi-30m-o-alaska-post2149046536.html