Collapsing mountains in Alaska are causing massive tsunamis

The Smiths sent a satellite text to Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a geologist friend in Washington, asking her to check nearby seismic stations for signs of landslides. It was the first report of the Tracy Arm tsunami to the outside world.

Caplan-Auerbach was sitting down to coffee and a Wordle when the Smiths’ text dropped. The seismologist and Western Washington University professor quickly pivoted to scrolling for seismic stations near the David B. The data from many stations is publicly accessible. But there are few seismometers in Southeast Alaska, a vast and remote area where monitoring is expensive.