In 2004, the 8.7 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered the tsunami in Indonesia, which killed more than 200,000 people, and this natural disaster became a major tragedy in human history. And in 2011, Japan was hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake, triggering a terrible tsunami that killed or left some 20,000 people dead or missing.
Although the destructive power of these two tsunamis is impressive enough, it also seems insignificant compared to the one about to be narrated. The story involves a 100-meter-high super tsunami, and this time the tragedy is far greater than the aforementioned events. However, little was known about the launch of this super tsunami until now.
That particular July 9th, the sun was shining and the sea was as calm as a mirror. Without warning, an unprecedented catastrophe is imminent. Around 10 a.m., the earth near Richard Bay began to shake violently, like the trembling of a giant beast. An earthquake of about 7.9 magnitude struck the Foya Latitude fault, and the collision of underground rock layers caused a cliff to collapse.
One of the rocks, about 90 meters thick and 900 meters long, weighed hundreds of millions of tons, as if Mount Tai had crushed the top and slammed into the sea, causing a deafening roar. The gravitational pull of the earthquake and the impact of the rock caused the sea surface to rise suddenly, forming huge waves.
Then, huge waves continue to rush to the hillsides of the bay, smoothing out the forest on the shore. Trees more than 1 meter in diameter were cut off like cereal and swept away unimpeded. In the center of the bay, the sea is unusually agitated, more than 30 meters high, as if the roar of thousands of horses, surging towards the mountain pass, and then being reflected again, stirring endlessly.
At the same time, the earthquake triggered an ice avalanche, and Alaska in the summer was still covered with large swathes of glaciers to the north. The impact of the earthquake caused the glacier to break, and huge blocks of ice were swept away by the waves and sped forward. Some of the ice blocks were even more than 30 meters in diameter, and they smashed into the cliffs and shattered into pieces.
The tsunami lasted for about an hour, eventually receding due to the geographical shape of the strait, glaciers on the north and south sides, and the seawater.
The next day, people went to the site to investigate and were surprised to find that the glacier in the north had disappeared hundreds of meters, revealing a huge glacial cliff. On the coastline of Richard Bay, a large amount of giant ice is scattered, shining with cold light.
Geologists found that the maximum height of the huge wave hitting the slope reached 516 meters, and the highest point flooded several meters of tree trunks. According to this estimate, the maximum height of this super tsunami reached 520 meters, which became an unprecedented record.
Remote, sparsely populated, the damage from this disaster has not attracted widespread attention. Although the earth is so vast, in a casual moment, an earth-shattering event may occur in a corner, reminding human beings to always respect nature and protect the environment.
It was this Alaska super tsunami that forced people to re-examine the power of nature. From the epicenter of the earthquake to the treacherous birth of the tsunami to the impact of the giant wave, a series of shocking processes make us deeply feel the infinite power of nature. Despite Alaska's vast sparse population, the heroic resistance of the disaster, the life-and-death struggle of fishermen in huge waves, and the fact that one of the boat owners survived for hours in a small lifeboat and was luckily rescued.
Since then, people's technology and communication levels have improved rapidly, resulting in a significant increase in the ability to monitor, warn and respond to similar incidents. However, we should still remember history, continue to learn and improve our ability to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, and protect the earth, our common home, for the safety and future of mankind.
In this world of unknown and uncertain, the story of Alaska's super tsunami is a timeless reminder that despite humanity's advanced technology and wisdom, the forces of nature cannot be taken lightly and resisted. Perhaps, in a certain inadvertent moment, a thrilling change will occur again in a corner of the earth, awakening human beings' emotions of awe for nature and arousing people's thinking about environmental protection and sustainable development.