‘Mega-Tsunami’ that a melting Alaska glacier could soon unleash

INA – SOURCES

An unprecedented ‘Mega-Tsunami’ could be caused by a melting Alaska glacier, scientists have warned.

The concerned experts claim the catastrophic event could even happen within the next 12 months if melting ice triggers a landslide of unstable rocks.

If it’s not that soon, they think the ‘Mega-Tsunami’ is likely to happen within the next two decades.

The potential disaster was warned about in May by scientists who wrote an open letter to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (ADNR).

They’re worried about an area called Prince William Sound along the south coast of Alaska in the US.

This region has seen glacier retreat, which has led to instability on the slopes of a mountain in Barry Arm above the Barry Glacier.

The scientists wrote: “We, a group of scientists with expertise in climate change, landslides, and tsunami hazards, have identified an unstable mountain slope above the toe of Barry Glacier in Barry Arm, 60 miles east of Anchorage that has the potential to fail and generate a tsunami.

“This tsunami could impact areas frequented by tourists, fishing vessels, and hunters (potentially hundreds of people at one time).

“We believe that it is possible that this landslide-generated tsunami will happen within the next year, and likely within 20 years.”

Satellite images have shown how ice melt on the glacier has left a large rocky area exposed.