A recent study has revealed that a mega-tsunami triggered by a landslide in Greenland caused the Earth to vibrate for nine consecutive days. This event occurred last September when a mountain peak, rising 1.2 kilometers (0.7 miles), collapsed, leading to significant water displacement in the fjord below. Researchers, including experts from University College London (UCL), identified that the glacier at the mountain’s base had thinned due to climate change, contributing to the landslide.
The incident originated above Dickson Fjord in eastern Greenland and left scientists astonished. Co-author Dr. Stephen Hicks from UCL Earth Sciences noted, “This is the first instance of water sloshing recording vibrations that traveled through the Earth’s crust globally and lasted for several days.” He emphasized that while seismometers detect various surface activities, they had never recorded such a prolonged seismic wave characterized by a single oscillation frequency.
The study highlights the complex relationships between atmospheric climate change, glacier instability, water movement in the hydrosphere, and reactions within Earth’s crust. To analyze the water’s oscillation over nine days, researchers employed a mathematical model to recreate the landslide’s angle, suggesting that water splashed back and forth approximately every 90 seconds. This behavior generated vibrations that reverberated through the Earth’s crust internationally, resulting in one of the largest tsunamis in modern history.
This wave reportedly reached 10 kilometers (7.4 miles) across the fjord and soared to 110 meters high, although it diminished to 7 meters within minutes, according to the findings published in the journal Science.