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Michael E. West

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Director of the Alaska Earthquake Center and State Seismologist, University of Alaska Fairbanks

The Tracy Arm landslide sent a tsunami wave far up the opposite side of the fjord near South Sawyer Glacier. John Lyons/U.S. Geological Survey

May 6, 2026

Alaska’s near‑record landslide tsunami sent a wave 1,580 feet up the fjord walls – and left clues for building a warning system

Michael E. West, University of Alaska Fairbanks and Ezgi Karasözen, University of Alaska Fairbanks

The tsunami struck just 12 hours after a cruise ship had left the fjord, rattling the tourism industry.

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Location: Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.
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Joined May 2, 2026