Stunning Alaska Landslide Caused a 1,580-Foot Tsunami Rise, Pushing for Early-W warning Systems
A near-record landslide at Tracy Arm, Alaska in August 2025 unleashed a tsunami that sent water 1,580 feet up the fjord wall—the second-highest on record—stripping rock from the walls as it moved down the arm. A new study from the Alaska Earthquake Center ties glacier retreat, warm ocean waters, heavy rain, and thousands of seismic tremors to this event and argues for the development of a tiered alert system that could provide time-based warnings for ships and nearby communities, though such large-scale landslide monitoring does not yet exist in the U.S. and would require cross-agency cooperation.