The Mystery of Greenland’s 650-Foot Mega Tsunami Finally Solved
In September 2023, seismic stations around the world detected a strange and steady signal repeating every 92 seconds. This faint but persistent pulse lasted for nine days and briefly reappeared a month later. While too weak for humans to feel, it was strong enough to be recorded from Alaska to Australia—an unusual pattern that left scientists puzzled.
The source of this mysterious seismic activity was eventually traced to a remote location: the Dickson Fjord in East Greenland, a narrow inlet surrounded by towering 3,000-foot cliffs. What unfolded there was a natural disaster of staggering proportions—one that triggered a mega tsunami with waves reaching an astonishing 650 feet in height.
The Mega Tsunami and Its Hidden Cause
New satellite images revealed a fresh scar along the fjord’s mountainside, indicating a massive collapse. On September 16, 2023, over 25 million cubic yards of rock and ice—enough to fill 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools—plunged into the waters below. The impact set off a devastating chain reaction.
As the debris crashed into the fjord, it generated towering waves that surged through the two-mile-long corridor, slamming against the cliffs and rebounding. Unlike typical tsunamis that travel outward, this event created a seiche—a back-and-forth sloshing motion of water within the enclosed fjord. This oscillation sent low-frequency seismic waves pulsing through the Earth’s crust in a steady, rhythmic pattern, explaining the strange 92-second signals detected globally.
How Scientists Cracked the Case
The breakthrough in solving this mystery came from an unexpected source: the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, a collaborative effort between NASA and the French space agency launched in 2022. Using SWOT’s advanced satellite data, researchers observed subtle but crucial changes in water elevation within the fjord—slopes of up to two meters—that matched the expected behavior of seiches.
To piece together the full picture, scientists employed machine learning simulations to model the wave patterns over time. The findings confirmed that the seismic signals were indeed the result of the fjord’s violent, oscillating waters.
Robert Anthony of the U.S. Geological Survey, who was part of the research team, described the process: “It was exciting to be working on such a puzzling problem with an interdisciplinary and international team of scientists. Ultimately, it took a plethora of geophysical observations and numerical modeling from researchers across many countries to put the puzzle together and get a complete picture of what had occurred.”
A Rare Glimpse Into Nature’s Power
This event serves as a stark reminder of the immense forces at work in Earth’s most remote regions. While mega tsunamis are rare, their effects can reverberate across continents, leaving behind clues that challenge scientists to decode them. Thanks to cutting-edge technology and global collaboration, what was once a baffling seismic anomaly is now a well-documented case of nature’s raw power.
The discovery not only solves a scientific mystery but also highlights the importance of satellite missions like SWOT in uncovering the hidden dynamics of our planet. As researchers continue to monitor such events, we gain a deeper understanding of the delicate and often violent balance that shapes our world.
