World's Largest tsunami

[localboy]

The largest recorded tsunami was a wave 1720 feet tall in Lituya Bay, Alaska

:shock:

http://geology.com/records/biggest-tsunami.shtml

 

[Captains Cat]

Thanks. Those videos are incredible!

Charlie

 

[Sea Wolf]

Yup, it would take someone like Tom to have the luck to survive that ride! :lol:

I've heard of and gone on some E-Ticket ones, but a 1720 ft high Tsunami would have to at least be one letter of the alphabet more scary than an "E"!

(1720 ft/5283 ft = 1/3rd of a mile high!) :smileo

(Actually, the wave probably wasn't that high, but it did wash up the side of the mountains that far at the onset, less further down the bay. See map on site above.)

Joe. :teeth :thup

 

[hardee]

It just amazes me how that energy transfers over those distances.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[c-ness]

Absolutely amazing! We know it wasn't a C-dory but I wonder what type of boat they were in.

 

[Robbi]

The three boats were fishing boats, I think commercial trollers. In 1958 I would quess these were 25 to 35 foot wooden boats, maybe double enders with tall rigging used for stabilizing the boats in rolling seas. Here is an article about riding out the wave in one of the boats. There are some very interesting comments about bird behavior right before the quake hit.

http://www.sitnews.us/Kiffer/LituyaBay/070808_lituya_bay.html


It is amazing that two of the boats were able to survive the huge wave. I think one of the factors that contributed to this was that this was a wave that was generated at the shore and then moved out to the open ocean. Sort of the reverse of what we think of when we think of a tsunami.

Robbi

 

[Socrateur]

To supplement Robbi’s comment, since the wave was going from shallow to deeper water the face of wave would have a decreasing slope which would be the opposite of an incoming wave. The survivors’ comments of riding up and over the wave indicate this kind of scenario.

 

[T.R. Bauer]

It is amazing anything could survive any of it. What is even more amazing is in 1930 something almost the exact same thing happened in the same spot. A lot of people consider it a secure anchorage once you get over the bar. I'd be leary......But, it is a pretty common anchor spot for boats going crossing the gulf. BTW there is a very interesting show on the Discovery Channel documenting the history of the bay and the 1958 incident. It is worth watching.

 

[localboy]

BTW there is a very interesting show on the Discovery Channel documenting the history of the bay and the 1958 incident. It is worth watching.

That's where I first heard of this. Amazing story. I can't imagine.