This past Wednesday, July 30, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded, a magnitude 8.8, shook the far eastern coast of Russia near the Kamchatka Peninsula. This seismic event, the sixth strongest in recorded history, sent tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean, impacting countries from Japan and Hawaii to the US west coast. Over two million people across the Pacific Rim were ordered to evacuate as a precaution, though alerts extended far beyond, reaching as far as China, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, and even down the western coasts of South America in Peru, Chile, and Mexico.
Thankfully, the tsunami waves were far less destructive than initially feared. However, this recent event has reignited reflection on some of the biggest tsunamis in history, especially the remarkable 1958 mega-tsunami in Alaska’s Lituya Bay, which holds the record for the tallest tsunami wave ever observed.
On the night of July 9, 1958, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake triggered a massive landslide along the Fairweather Fault.
The Fairweather Fault is a major geological fault line located in southeastern Alaska. It’s part of the larger Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault system, which is a transform fault marking the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.
Unlike most tsunamis generated by underwater earthquakes, the massive tsunami was caused by the sudden collapse of a mountainside.
This geological event caused approximately 40 million cubic yards of rock to crash into the narrow fjord of Lituya Bay, displacing a massive volume of water and creating a tsunami wave that soared to an almost unimaginable height of 1,720 feet, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
To this day, it remains the tallest wave ever recorded anywhere in the world, towering even above iconic landmarks like the Shard, the Empire State Building, and the Eiffel Tower.
Five people lost their lives, including two people who were caught in the wave while on a fishing boat.
In a remarkable turn of events, a fishing boat captain and his son were lifted high into the air by the tsunami but survived with only minor injuries.
The devastating wave also damaged or destroyed numerous homes and tore through the surrounding forest, uprooting and stripping trees along its path.
The floodwaters engulfed the entire bay, creating a damage perimeter reaching as high as 699 feet above the bay’s outline, a scar that is still visible from satellite images today.
As the world watches and prepares for potential aftershocks and related volcanic activity near Kamchatka, the memory of Lituya Bay remains a powerful example of how tsunamis can vary dramatically in scale and impact.