Nature
In southeastern Alaska, Lituya Bay’s narrow fjord setting on the Fairweather Fault turned the July 9, 1958, earthquake into an extraordinary disaster. The magnitude 7.8 to 8.3 quake triggered a massive rockfall into Gilbert Inlet, where more than 30 million cubic meters of rock plunged into the water. The impact generated the largest known modern megatsunami, stripping vegetation to 1,719 feet above sea level and devastating the bay’s shoreline, boats, cabins, and nearby infrastructure. Five people died, though several eyewitnesses survived. The event reshaped scientific understanding by showing that landslides and rockfalls can produce extreme local tsunamis, not just seafloor movement.
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Elfin Cove, Alaska · United States
