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Details of a megatsunami (the second largest in history) that hit Alaska in 2025 (and no one noticed)

2026-05-16 21:18:53Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Details of a megatsunami (the second largest in history) that hit Alaska in 2025
Photo illustration of the tsunami in Alaska

A massive megatsunami wave created when part of an Alaskan mountain collapsed into the sea is the second-largest ever recorded — and a reminder of the dangers posed by melting glaciers, scientists say. Last summer, a giant wave swept through a remote fjord in southeast Alaska, leaving devastation in its wake.

The event was largely unreported at the time, but new scientific analysis shows it was caused by a massive landslide.

A staggering 64 million cubic metres of rock – the equivalent of 24 large towers – erupted into the water below. The sheer force of the rock crashing into the fjord in less than a minute created a giant wave almost 500 metres high, the BBC reports.

Only the timing of the incident – ​​in the early hours of the morning – prevented the destruction of the cruise ships, researchers say. Dr. Bretwood Higman, an Alaskan geologist who saw the damage in Tracy Arm Fjord up close, said it was “close.”

"I am terrified"

“We know there were people who almost ended up in the wrong place,” he said. “I’m very scared that we won’t be so lucky in the future.”

These huge waves, called megatsunamis, are created when a landslide triggered by an earthquake or loose rock hits the water below. They are usually localized and dissipate quickly. Another type of tsunami occurs in the open ocean and is caused directly by earthquakes or, occasionally, by other powerful events such as underwater volcanoes. They, like the tsunami in Japan in 2011, can travel thousands of kilometers, hitting populated areas and causing widespread destruction and loss of life.

Details of a megatsunami (the second largest in history) that hit Alaska in 2025

The largest megatsunami occurred in the 1950s and was more than 500 meters high. This latest megatsunami was the second largest. Dr. Higman arrived at the scene a few weeks after the tsunami hit Tracy Arm Fjord – a popular destination for cruise ships exploring Alaska’s natural wonders. He found broken trees scattered across the mountainside and thrown into the water, and large chunks of rock stripped of soil and vegetation. Alaska is particularly vulnerable to megatsunamis because of its steep mountains, narrow fjords and frequent earthquakes.

Now, new research published in the journal Science suggests that melting glaciers caused by climate change are making such collapses much worse. The team combined fieldwork, seismic and satellite data to reconstruct the domino chain of events and track wave heights.

Details of a megatsunami (the second largest in history) that hit Alaska in 2025

The risks are increasing.

Dr. Stephen Hicks of University College London said that the glacier had previously “helped to hold this piece of rock together” and that when the ice retreated, it exposed the bottom of the rock, “allowing this rock material to suddenly collapse into the fjord.” He and his colleagues have studied tsunamis for decades and are concerned: “More and more people are now going to remote areas – often these tourist trips will be to see the natural beauty of the area to learn more about climate change – but these are also dangerous places.”

Dr. Higman said there is no doubt that the risks of megatsunamis are increasing: “At this point, I am quite convinced that they are increasing not just a little, but a lot. Probably ten times more frequent than they were just a few decades ago.”

Scientists are calling for more extensive monitoring of hazards in parts of Alaska that could be vulnerable to megatsunamis. Several cruise lines have announced they will stop sending ships to Tracy Arm due to safety concerns.

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