Lituya Glacier
| Lituya Glacier | |
|---|---|
Lituya Glacier | |
| Type | Tidewater glacier |
| Location | Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 58°43′25″N 137°29′33″W / 58.72361°N 137.49250°W |
| Length | 11 miles (18 km) |
| Terminus | Ocean (Lituya Bay) |
| Status | Retreating |
Lituya Glacier is a tidewater glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located at 58°43′25″N 137°29′33″W / 58.72361°N 137.49250°W inside Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, its source is in the Fairweather Range and it feeds into Lituya Bay on the gulf coast of Southeast Alaska.
It played a significant role in the 1958 Lituya Bay megatsunami. Over time, the glacier’s movement and retreat carved Lituya Bay into a distinctive geographic formation characterized by steep walls, a very deep submerged bottom, and a very narrow entrance to the ocean which created the opportunity for a megatsunami to occur.
The glacier is also the namesake of the Alaska Marine Highway ferry M/V Lituya.
See also
External links
- Media related to Lituya Glacier at Wikimedia Commons
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lituya Glacier
- World's Biggest Tsunami: The largest recorded tsunami with a wave 1720 feet tall in Lituya Bay, Alaska