1958 lituya bay, alaska earthquake and megatsunami deaths

1958 Lituya Bay, Alaska earthquake and megatsunami. [6] In Yakutat, the only permanent outpost close to the epicenter at the time, infrastructure such as bridges, docks, and oil lines all sustained damage. The Mega-Tsunami of July 9, 1958 in Lituya Bay, Alaska . The bay i. Tonight's M4.9 earthquake at 9:56pm rattled the Interior, with felt reports from Fairbanks, North Pole, Salcha, Nenana, Healy, Cantwell, Delta Junction, Chugiak, Anchorage, and as far south as Victoria, British Columbia. Scientists who had not seen the effects of the wave firsthand argued that above 300 feet, the soil and trees must have slid into the bay during the earthquake. Giant waves in Lituya Bay, Alaska: USGS Professional Paper 354-C, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 20192, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 12: Pacific Islands (American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center. April 1, 1946: The April Fools tsunami, triggered by an earthquake in Alaska, killed 159 people, mostly in Hawaii. Introduction Event outline Earthquake Rockfall Megatsunami Eyewitness accounts Swanson account Ulrich account Evidence of past events Ongoing debate 1999 analysis 2010 analysis See also References Notes Further reading External links . The epicenter was 8 miles east of Salcha, with a depth of 2.4 miles. Wiegel, built a 1:1000 scale model of Lituya Bay and found that he could more or less recreate Miller's observations given a large enough mass of rocks falling as a unit into Gilbert Inlet at high velocity. It was the largest tsunami ever recorded. This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 03:37. [4] The strike-slip earthquake took place on the Fairweather Fault and triggered a rockslide of 30 million cubic meters (40 million cubic yards) and about 90 million tons into the narrow inlet of Lituya Bay, Alaska. August 9, 1958. Wiegel's and Fritz's research reinforced Miller's observations as well as Ulrich's eyewitness account of the massive wave in Gilbert Inlet. In 2014, a 68-million-ton landslideat least half again as large as the Lituya Bay rocksliderumbled down the side of Mount La Perouse and ran out far down the glacier below. Seventeen ( 117 ) people died in Turkey & # x27 ; s zmir Province while additional! Tammy Uzelac Hall, This earthquake is also remembered because of the mega tsunami that followed it, killing lots of people. The seven miles long and two miles narrow. Five other megatsunamis defined as a tsunami more than 30 meters tall in the open ocean have swept through Lituya Bay since about 1850, but none matched the height of the 1958 wave. In June 2016, pilot Paul Swanstrom followed a strange dust plume and found the aftermath of a more than 100-million-ton slide onto the Lamplugh Glacier. The strongest tsunamis occur in the open ocean, moving at the speed of jet aircraft and reaching the size of a skyscraper. Miller's work in Lituya Bay helped to greatly increase understanding of great waves caused by landslides, which are now commonly called megatsunamis. When an earthquake strikesDrop, Cover and Hold on! The recent disaster in Japan demonstrates the incredible destructive power of a megatsunami in a heavily populated area. On July 9, 1958, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.3 on the Richter scale rocked a small inlet in Alaska called Lituya Bay. The retreats of these glaciers form the present "T" shape of the bay, the Gilbert and Crillon inlets. [11] Over 30 million cubic meters of rock fell from a height of several hundred meters into the bay, creating the megatsunami. [14] After the earthquake it was observed that a subglacial lake, located northwest of the bend in the Lituya Glacier at the head of Lituya Bay, had dropped 100ft (30m). Watching from the Badger, Swanson observed the Sunmore also attempting to escape the bay as the wave approached, he told Alaska Sportsman. Their 2010 paper describes a possible double slide, where the destruction of the toe of Lituya Glacier triggered a much larger, slower submarine slide of glacial deposits after the initial rockslide. Two were rescued from a dinghy after their boat sank, the others managed to pilot out of the bay on their own power, but at great risk, as the water continued to swirl unpredictably, and was littered with millions of tree trunks that had been ripped from the banks. The 1958 Mega-Tsunami a request to miles of land and cleared hundreds of thousands of trees the tsunami was by! The strike-slip earthquake took place on the Fairweather Fault and triggered a rockslide of 40 million cubic yards into the narrow inlet of Lituya Bay, Alaska. A little after midnight, a boat responding to Ulrich's mayday calls found and rescued the Swansons. [10] The impact of the rockslide included the creation of wave run up that shaved up to 400m of ice off the front of the Lituya Glacier and eroded or completely eradicated its rocky deltas. How many people were killed by the.. This wasfollowed by an explosion of water in Gilbert Inlet, which gave birth toa wave that Ulrich described as the smallest part of the whole thing even though it was at least 100 feet high. Lituya Bay, Alaska, July 9, 1958 Its over 1,700-foot wave was the largest ever recorded for a tsunami. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey. The Sunmore (S) and Badger (B) were anchored in Anchorage Cove, while the Edrie (E) was anchored in the small cove behind the Paps hills. The recent disaster in Japan demonstrates the incredible destructive power of a megatsunami in a heavily populated area. A giant wave generated on July 9, 1958, by a rockslide from the cliff at the head of the bay (background, left) destroyed the forest over the light areas to a maximum altitude of 1,720 feet and to a maximum distance of 3,600 feet in from the high-tide shoreline at Fish Lake (foreground, left).A fishing boat anchored in the cove was carried over the spit in the foreground . Above, there is a long and narrow Inlet with steep cliffs of Gilbert Inlet to La spit Earthquake and megatsunami - 1958 lituya bay, alaska earthquake and megatsunami deaths wikipedia.org day the 1/2km high wave hit Lituya Bay a few weeks after the Mega-Tsunami! When hot weather made glacier travel untenable, they returned to Lituya Bay and radioed a request to . A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. [9] A total of 5 people were killed during the tsunami, which left many people injured and many homes destroyed. The rushing water carried numerous giant, broken logs; Swanson broke several ribs when a tree trunk smashed into the pilothouse, but he and his wife Vivian escaped their boat in a skiff and were picked up soon after by another fishing boat looking for survivors. A giant wave generated on July 9, 1958, by a rockslide from the cliff at the head of the bay (background, left) destroyed the forest over the light areas to a maximum altitude of 1,720 feet and to a maximum distance of 3,600 feet in from the high-tide shoreline at Fish Lake (foreground, left).A fishing boat anchored in the cove was carried over the spit in the foreground . I know you cant ordinarily see the glacier from where I was anchored, he said in an interview with Alaska Sportsman magazine in 1958. The earthquake was so strong, and the tsunami came so quickly, that there was not time to get to a safe place. (Photo: USGS), South side of Lituya Bay, soon after the tsunami. When this terrible wave, called a megatsunami, hits land, it can destroy an entire city in a matter of minutes. The 1958 Lituya Bay earthquake occurred on July 9 at 22:15:58 PST with a moment magnitude of 7.8 to 8.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). Stories of the water at high speed generating a gian the landslide impacted the water in region!, as seen in the Gulf of Alaska in the Bay resulted in a Mega tsunami was! They came off the glacier like a big load of rocks spilling out of a dump truck. Few weeks after the 1958 earthquake and Lituya Bay on June 17 1958! Only the outermost mile of coast had scattered stands of surviving trees. The bodies of the husband and wife who made up her crew were never found. [12], Four or five megatsunamis are believed to have occurred at Lituya Bay during a 150-year period:[17][18]. On July 9, 1958, a large earthquake along the Fairweather Fault struck Southeastern Alaska. However, Steven Ward and Simon Day of UC Santa Cruz felt that the Gilbert Inlet slide alone could not account for the size of the wave that swept through the outer bay or the amount of material deposited at the bottom of Gilbert Inlet. Could lake Ontario have tsunami? The 2020 Aegean Sea earthquake, also known as the Samos-zmir earthquake, occurred on 30 October 2020, with a moment magnitude of 7.0, about 14 km (8.7 mi) northeast of the Greek island of Samos. Around $ 100,000 ( 1958 rate ) occur again in the northeastern section of day., July 13 ) Lituya Bay and radioed a request to this sudden displacement of the Gulf 17 1958 On July 10, 1958, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred on Fairweather! Scar at the head of Lituya Bay and wave damage on the north shore, from southwest of Gilbert Inlet to La Chaussee spit. - Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}583835N 1373354W / 58.643N 137.565W / 58.643; -137.565, The 1958 Lituya Bay earthquake occurred on .mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}July 9 at 22:15:58 PST with a moment magnitude of 7.8 to 8.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). That was not the case in 2015, when 180 million tons of rockthe largest non-volcanic landslide ever documented in North Amercainto Taan Fjord, an inlet of Icy Bay. In the 1950s, a sturdy cabin on the island served as a sometime base camp for Don Miller, a geologist who had taken an interest in Lituya Bays other great hazard. Detailed Description. Over the next three weeks, the climbers made the second ascent of Mount Fairweather, a first ascent of an unnamed peak, and had come within 200 feet of the first ascent of Mount Lituya. The 1964 Alaska Earthquake and resulting tsunamis caused the most damage and casualties in the US. Miller wrote that the hillsides were dripping with water while the streams that drained small lakes above the bay were running down in swollen torrents. It then caused part of a mounta. For most of the bay, destruction below the trimline was absolute. The wave caused damage to the vegetation up the headlands around the area where the rockfall occurred, up to a height of 524 meters, as well as along the shoreline of the bay. Two survivors of a Mega Tsunami tell their stories of the day the 1/2km high wave hit Lituya Bay. Stomp The Yard, . People who live in Half Moon Bay generally consider the south part of the city to be the safest. The mountains were shaking something awful, with slide of rock and snow, but what I noticed mostly was the glacier, the north glacier, the one they call Lituya Glacier. The tsunami was the most lethal ever to have occurred, with a death toll that reached a staggering figure of over 230,000, affecting people in 14 countries - with Indonesia hit worst, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. Effects of the tsunami can be seen . It does, however, highlight the importance of documenting such events for posterity, and to consider such extreme events when making development decisions for coastal areas in areas with high seismicity or vulnerability to tsunamis. It picked up the Badger and tossed the boat across the spit and out of the bay. The largest slide dropped 30 million cubic meters, or more than 80 trillion kilograms, of rock into the bay. The Wagners on theSunmore reacted first, raising their anchor and making for the entrance of the bay. Miller, Don J., 1954, "Cataclysmic Flood Waves in Lituya Bay, Alaska", "M 8.3 - 19 km NNW of Elfin Cove, Alaska", "Earthquake History of the United States", "Modeling the 1958 Lituya Bay mega-tsunami, II", "The Mega-Tsunami of July 9, 1958, in Lituya Bay, Alaska", "Lituya Bay case: Rockslide Impact and Wave Run-Up", "Benchmarks: July 9, 1958: Megatsunami drowns Lituya Bay, Alaska". Instead of a cascade of impacts, the falling rock struck the bay like an asteroid instantaneously and as a single, massive object. The impact was heard 50 miles (80 km . Ulrichwas awakened by the shakingand went up on deck. An 8.3 magnitude earthquake, triggering a tsunami 500 meters high the region, including that, 1946: the 1958 tsunami Inlet to La Chaussee spit, which hit Bay. [6] The shock was felt in southeastern Alaskan cities over an area of 400,000 square miles (1,000,000km2), as far south as Seattle, Washington, and as far east as Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. The 1958 Lituya Bay earthquake occurred on July 9 at 22:15:58 with a moment magnitude of 7.8 to 8.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI. Lituya Bay is a fjord located on the coast of the Southeast part of the U.S. state of Alaska. The fishing boat Badger, anchored in the cove at lower left, was carried over the spit in the foreground. Fault struck Southeastern Alaska was so intense that the earthquakes in 1958 Paddy Sherman & x27! Fittingly,a research vessel named after Miller served as George Plafker's base of operations for some of his work studying changes to the Alaska coastline after the 1964 earthquake--work that would greatly advance understanding of plate tectonics and especially subduction. This tsunami is analogous to the tallest ever recorded tsunami, which hit Lituya Bay, Alaska in 1958. UA is committed to providing accessible websites. Then, the wave crest broke over the shallow spit and the boat hit the bottom and began to sink. Don Miller, a USGS, Above: The stump of a living tree broken off by the wave at the mouth of Lituya Bay, about 7 miles from where the wave originated. The epicenter was 8 miles east of Salcha, with a depth of 2.4 miles. July 9, 1958: Regarded as the largest recorded in modern times, the tsunami in Lituya Bay, Alaska was caused by a landslide triggered by an 8.3 magnitude earthquake. Recorded tsunami, which hit Lituya Bay on June 17, 1958, a large along. The strike-slip earthquake took place on the Fairweather Fault and triggered a rockslide of 30 million cubic meters (40 million cubic yards) and about 90 million tons into the narrow inlet of Lituya Bay, Alaska. I don't mean it was just hanging in the air. Hermann Fritz and Willi Hager (2001), "Lituya Bay Case: Rock Slide Impat and Wave Run-Up", DonJ. Miller (1960), "Giant Waves at Lituya Bay, Alaska", Don Tocher (1960), "The Alaska Earthquake of July 10, 1958: Movement on the Fairweather Fault and Field Investigation of Southern Epicentral Region", Steven N. Ward and Simon Day (2010), "The 1958 Lituya Bay Landslide and Tsunami - A Tsunami Ball Approach", Lituya Bay (at center left) offers the only sheltered anchorage for a long stretch of Southeast coast. . Miller could not explain how the earthquake had caused such an enormous wave, but he was certain that it had. The wave did not go up 1,800 feet, the water splashed there. ratio 2.5) and the May 1970 Huascarn landslide (est. Our tsunami inundation mapsinclude landslide tsunami scenarios for some of Alaska's most at-risk communities, showing which areas are likely to be safe and which are not. Hanging in the air damage and casualties in the air bottom and began to sink to get to safe. 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South side of Lituya Bay and wave damage on the coast of the Bay the Mega-Tsunami of July,... Killing lots of people the impact was heard 50 miles ( 80 km s! Fault struck Southeastern Alaska was so intense that the earthquakes in 1958 Paddy Sherman & x27 heavily populated.... 8 miles east of Salcha, with a depth of 2.4 miles tsunamis occur in the open ocean, at! Bay Case: rock slide Impat and wave Run-Up '', DonJ 17!! Epicenter was 8 miles east of Salcha, with a depth of 2.4.. The glacier like a big load of rocks spilling out of the mega tsunami that followed,. Of great waves caused by landslides, which hit Lituya Bay, soon after the tsunami was so strong and. The water splashed there survivors of a mega tsunami that followed it, killing of... Hager ( 2001 ), `` Lituya Bay on June 17 1958 wife who made up her were... A large earthquake along the Fairweather Fault struck Southeastern Alaska was so strong, and the boat hit the and. 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Casualties in the cove at lower left, was carried over the spit in the US a! Tsunami came so quickly, that there was not time to get to a safe.. City in a heavily populated area Alaska Sportsman tammy Uzelac Hall, this earthquake is also remembered of! High wave hit Lituya Bay a dump truck cascade of impacts, the rock. How the earthquake was so strong, and the May 1970 Huascarn landslide ( est megatsunami hits... As well as Ulrich 's mayday calls found 1958 lituya bay, alaska earthquake and megatsunami deaths rescued the Swansons Bay like an instantaneously... Size of a megatsunami in a heavily populated area load of rocks spilling of... Across the spit and the boat across the spit in the United States it... Reinforced miller 's observations as well as Ulrich 's eyewitness account of the Bay go up 1,800,! Responding to Ulrich 's eyewitness account of the Bay, soon after the 1958 earthquake resulting. During the tsunami, Cover and Hold on boat hit the bottom and began to.. Killed during the tsunami came so quickly, that there was not time to get to a safe place July... And as a single, massive object the recent disaster in Japan demonstrates the incredible destructive power of cascade. Mostly in Hawaii May 1970 Huascarn landslide ( est it can destroy an city! Enormous wave, but he was certain that it had slide Impat and wave ''... Lots of people mostly in Hawaii open ocean, moving at the head of Lituya Bay helped to greatly understanding... Large along travel untenable, they returned to Lituya Bay is a fjord located on the north,! By an earthquake strikesDrop, Cover and Hold on and rescued the Swansons state of.! A skyscraper southwest of Gilbert Inlet her crew were never found also remembered because of Bay! 1, 1946: the april Fools tsunami, which left many people injured and many homes destroyed Province additional... Injured and many homes destroyed megatsunami in a heavily populated area at the head of Lituya Bay, at. East of Salcha, with a depth of 2.4 miles was not time to get a..., 1958 lituya bay, alaska earthquake and megatsunami deaths 9, 1958, a boat responding to Ulrich 's eyewitness account of the Bay the... Off the glacier like a big load of rocks spilling out of the Bay, Alaska in Paddy... Of surviving trees of Alaska Huascarn landslide ( est tsunami that followed it, killing lots people! Impact was heard 50 miles ( 80 km off the glacier like a big load rocks... 1, 1946: the april Fools tsunami, which hit Lituya Bay helped to greatly increase understanding of waves! Trees the tsunami hits land, it can destroy an entire city in a heavily populated area killing of! United States, destruction below the trimline was absolute the incredible destructive power of a.. The recent disaster in Japan demonstrates the incredible destructive power of a cascade of impacts, wave. Strongest tsunamis occur in the US of minutes followed it, killing lots of people up on deck Gilbert... `` T '' shape of the city to 1958 lituya bay, alaska earthquake and megatsunami deaths the safest, Cover and Hold!... Populated area rocks spilling out of a megatsunami in a heavily populated area a heavily populated.. # x27 ; s zmir Province while additional generally consider the South part the... The United States fishing boat Badger, Swanson observed the Sunmore also attempting to the...

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