| Lituya Bay | |
|---|---|
 Oblique aerial photograph of Lituya Bay in the summer of 1958. Damage from the 1958 megatsunami appears as the lighter-colored areas on the shores where trees have been stripped away. | |
  Lituya Bay | |
| Location | North Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 58°38′13″N137°34′23″W / 58.63694°N 137.57306°W /58.63694; -137.57306 (Lituya Bay) |
| River sources |
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| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 14.5 km (9 mi) |
| Max. width | 3.2 km (2 mi) |
Lituya Bay (/lɪˈtjuːjə/ ⓘ;Tlingit:Ltu.aa,[1] meaning 'lake within the point')[2] is afjord located on the coast of the south-east part of theU.S. state ofAlaska. It is 14.5 km (9 mi) long and 3.2 km (2 mi) wide at its widest point. The bay was noted in 1786 byJean-François de Lapérouse, who named it Port des Français. Twenty-one of his men perished in the tidal current in the bay.
The smaller Cascade and Crillonglaciers and the largerLituya Glacier all spill into Lituya Bay, which is a part ofGlacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Cenotaph Island is located roughly in the middle of the bay. The entrance of the bay is approximately 500 m (0.31 mi) wide, with a narrow navigable channel.[3]
The bay is known for its tremendous sizetides, which have a range of approximately 3 m (9.8 ft). Tidal currents in the entrance reach 9.4 km/h (5.1 kn). The entrance is considered dangerous to navigation, especially when the tidal currents are running, but the interior of the bay provides good protection to anchored ships.[3]
Lituya Bay is also famous for four recordedtsunamis, in 1854, 1899, 1936, and 1958.[4][5]
The bay is mentioned inJack London's short story, "The Unexpected". (In that story, the name of the bay is spelled "Latuya".)
The same topography that leads to the heavy tidal currents also created thetsunami with the highest runup against a hillside in recorded history. On the night of July 9, 1958, anearthquake caused alandslide in the Gilbert Inlet at the head of the bay, generating a massivemegatsunami which had sufficient energy to run up the hill slope just opposite of the landslide to a height measuring 1,719 feet (524 m), taller than theEmpire State Building. There were three fishing boats anchored near the entrance of Lituya Bay on the day the giant wave occurred. One boat (theSunmore) was sunk by the wave and debris as it attempted to exit the bay, and the two people on board (a married couple, the Wagners) were killed. The second boat (theBadger) was carried across the la Chasseuse, spit into the ocean, hit by a floating log and sunk but not before its occupants (a married couple, the Swansons) in spite of injuries, managed to board a skiff ultimately to be rescued. The third boat, theEdrie, crewed by father and son the Ulriches, was anchored at the opposite side of the bay entrance. The father, Howard, turned the boat to face the wave, which picked her up, snapped her anchor chain, carried her above the trees but then washed her back into the bay with no major damage. William A. Swanson and Howard G. Ulrich provided accounts of what they observed. Based on Swanson's description of the length of time it took the wave to reach his boat after overtopping Cenotaph Island near the bay's entrance, the wave may have been traveling 120 mph (190 km/h). When it reached the open sea, however, it dissipated quickly. This incident was the first direct evidence and eyewitness report of the existence of megatsunamis.[4]
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