Alaska’s 2025 mega tsunami highlights risk to cruise lines as glaciers retreat
Summary
A huge tsunami struck the Tracy Arm fjord in Alaska on August 10, 2025, caused by a large rockslide hitting a glacier toe. The wave reached 481 meters high, making it the second tallest tsunami ever recorded, and highlighted risks to cruise ships visiting areas affected by climate change-driven glacier retreat.Key Facts
- The tsunami happened in a narrow fjord called Tracy Arm in southeast Alaska.
- The rockslide fell 1 km vertically onto the South Sawyer glacier.
- The tsunami reached 481 meters (1,578 feet) high, taller than the Eiffel Tower.
- About three cruise ships pass through the area daily, but no one was harmed as the event happened early morning.
- The event also caused a 36-hour seiche, a wave that oscillates in enclosed water.
- The tsunami generated seismic waves like a 5.4 magnitude earthquake.
- Witnesses up to 55 km away saw waves and strong water surges.
- Scientists link the event to glacier retreat caused by climate change, which makes such landslides and tsunamis more likely.
- Cruise ship visits to Alaskan fjords have increased from 1 million passengers in 2016 to 1.6 million in 2025.
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