Alaska 2025 tsunami was second-highest ever, taller than Empire State Building

Tracy Arm Fjord, in southeastern Alaska ⁠within the Tongass National Forest, presents a majestic vista, with a narrow sea inlet surrounded by towering granite cliffs, waterfalls and glaciers. One morning last year it also was the site of a powerful landslide that triggered a huge localised tsunami.Researchers have now determined that the tsunami on August 10, 2025, was the second-highest ever recorded, with a wave reaching up to 481 metres (1,578 feet) tall – higher than New York City’s Empire State Building. The tsunami surged through the fjord, violently stripping vegetation ‌from the steep rock walls.The fiord has been a popular sightseeing destination, but because the tsunami occurred at 5.30am, there were no cruise ships or other boats in the waterway and no one was hurt.