Let's find out the tallest wave recorded on earth-part II
Let's find out the tallest wave recorded on earth-part II
Updated on April 10, 2022 18:24 PM by Dhinesh
The shape of the Bay
The shape of the bay was enough to create a massive wave. The landslide and the form of the bay together forced the development of such a tall wave.
Introduction to Lituya Bay
Lituya Bay is a fjord. It is a long and narrow coastal inlet that has steep slides.The bay is about nine miles long and two miles across the widest point. The maximum depth of the bay is about seven hundred and twenty-two feet
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The formation of the Bay
An ancient glacier during the times of the formation of tectonic plates created the shape of the bay.
The connection of the Bay
The bay connects to the Gulf of Alaska through a wide opening measuring the width of 984 feet. It was the landslide’s job
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Landslide-generated tsunami
The landslide-generated tsunami at the Lituya Bay resulted in the waves soaring out in fan shape, causing the inexplicable height.The landslide occurred in the Gilbert Inlet at the end of the Fjord. This portion of the Fjord is the furthest from the ocean, which led to the tsunami.
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Channeled towards one side
The Lituya Bay is narrowly shaped and has steep slopes, which provoked the waterbody to mount in full force to a single direction.
The water has no way to escape
The water in the bay had nowhere to escape since the ocean was very far. So, the bedding of the rocks pushed it up the surrounding slope, causing the massive run-up height.
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A visual simulation
In 2019, a study was published in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences Journal. It talked about the formation of the giant wave through a computerized visual simulation.
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The media gave the name
The media has given a name to this wave- the megatsunami. It is mainly because of the formation of the mammoth-sized waves.
The formation of these waves
These waves are formed due to the landslides or the presence of a waterbody in a volcanic-prone area.
Landslide Tsunami vs. tectonic tsunamis
The formation of landslide tsunamis is rarer than the formation of tectonic tsunamis.