Ten Minutes in Lituya Bay

[Ben]

Fascinating story of Lituya Bay, apparently tsunami central of Alaska.

https://www.damninteresting.com/ten-minutes-in-lituya-bay/

[Hawkmoon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNuPajn_ezg

[230RN]

While it's not a matter of mass plunking into water causing a big splash, I've often wondered about the Gulf of Carpentaria on the North coast of Australia.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/pacific/australia/

There's a very active seismic area just north of it and I figure with the right kind of geological event, a tsunami of large proportions would get "focused" by the Gulf's shape into that narrow southern end of the Gulf.  Talk about your "megatsunamis."

This all occurred to me after the recent Japan tsunami.

It doesn't look like it's very populated at that point, though.  I just wonder if similar evidence of past flooding in that area might be found.

Terry

[tokugawa]

Lituya bay is a beautiful place. And dangerous- LaPeruse (sp?) lost 21 men in a moment there , after bring his ship from France without losing anyone. They were sent on on a survey and were warned not to get neat the entrance on an ebb tide- they got to close, and two ships boats got sucked out through the breakers and out to sea. You can stand at the entrance and watch a series of standing breakers rear up at the change. THe bay is deep wide and long and drains through a very narrow opening.  I spent some time there years ago, it is the only shelter between Yakutat and the inlet into the inside passage. Used to have great clamming, shrimping and crabbing. Lot's of bears.