A recent study has revealed that a mega-tsunami triggered by a landslide in Greenland caused the Earth to vibrate for nine days. The incident, which occurred last September, involved the collapse of a 1.2-kilometer-high mountain peak, leading to significant water movement in the fjord below and vibrations that resonated through the Earth’s crust.
Researchers, including scientists from University College London (UCL), attributed the landslide to climate change, specifically the thinning of the glacier situated at the base of the mountain. This phenomenon, which originated above Dickson Fjord in eastern Greenland, left researchers “completely baffled,” according to co-author Dr. Stephen Hicks.
Dr. Hicks noted that this is the first recorded instance of water sloshing causing vibrations within the Earth’s crust that traveled globally and persisted for days. He emphasized that while seismometers can detect various surface events, such a long-lasting, globally propagating seismic wave containing a single frequency of oscillation had never been documented before.
The study illustrates the complex connections between atmospheric climate change, glacier destabilization, water movements in the hydrosphere, and the solid crust of the Earth. To analyze the duration of the water splashing, researchers employed a mathematical model to replicate the landslide’s angle, indicating that water would splash back and forth approximately every 90 seconds, generating vibrations around the planet and leading to one of the largest tsunamis in recent times.
The tsunami wave reportedly extended 10 kilometers across the fjord and reached heights of 110 meters but diminished to 7 meters within minutes, as estimated in the study published in the journal Science.