• Winter light on the Fairweather Range

    Glacier Bay

    National Park & Preserve Alaska

Landslides and Giant Waves

Geology in Action brochure

Discover how Glacier Bay's dynamic landscape could result in giant tsunami waves.

Geology in Action!

The landscape of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is ever changing. The park’s glaciers, steep rugged slopes, and magnificent views attract over 400,000 visitors each year. Glacier Bay is also a natural laboratory drawing scientists from around the world to study its dynamic environment. The natural processes that formed this impressive terrain are still very much at work. Recently released from the grip of glacier ice, this newly exposed landscape is being shaped by water, ice, gravity, as well as biological and tectonic processes. When these processes coincide with human activities they can present potential hazards to human safety.



The combination of recent deglaciation, relatively frequent earthquakes, steep rocky slopes, and narrow inlets suggests that many locations in Glacier Bay have the potential for generating large tsunami waves.

 
Landslide in Tidal Inlet
The Tidal Inlet landslide has been closely studied. Results have shown that it is currently creeping downlslope at an average of 1.2-1.6 inches per year. If it suddenly released, it could create a massive wave up to 250' high through Tidal Inlet and nearby portions of Glacier Bay.
 

Learn More:



Tidal Inlet Wave Hazard Assessment



Hydrodynamic Analysis of Tidal Inlet Landslide

Did You Know?

Iceworms do exist!

No hoax, iceworms do exist. These small, threadlike, segmented black worms, usually less than one inch long, thrive in temperatures just above freezing. Observers as far back as the 1880’s reported the tiny worms on the surface of glaciers. When sunlight strikes, ice worms burrow into the ice.