This Video Shows a Tsunami in Greenland, Not in Alaska
The Claim
A video features the moment a tsunami strikes Alaska after the earthquake.
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Emerging story
After the recent earthquake that struck Alaska, social media users and media outlets circulated a video purporting to show the moment when a tsunami hit the region.
Yeni Şafak’s official Twitter account also published the video, accompanied by a translated caption stating, “After an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 occurred in the Alaska region of the USA, the waters began to rise in the region where a tsunami warning was issued.”
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating video and found the claim to be misleading.
After conducting a thorough reverse image search, Misbar’s team found the video making the rounds to be outdated and unrelated to Alaska.
The Tsunami Video Was Shot in Greenland in 2017, Not in Alaska
In contrast to the claims made by social media users, the video in question actually features the 2017 Greenland tsunami.
Yahoo! Sport uploaded the same video on June 17, 2017, with the caption, "Fishermen run for their lives as powerful tsunami smashes into Greenland."
Licet Studios also uploaded the video to YouTube. According to its description, the footage is from June 17, 2017, and captures a shocking incident where fishermen were taken by surprise by the tremendous force of a tsunami wave striking Greenland's west coast. All three fishermen managed to escape the wave just in time.
Greenland's 2017 Tsunami
The Greenland tsunami was caused by a colossal landslide on the southern slope of the Umiammakku Nunaat peninsula. This landslide involved the collapse of several dozen million cubic meters of rock and slope sediments.
Initially, the tsunami wave was recorded to be over 90 meters high, and as it approached the small village of Nuugaatsiaq, it had a wave height of approximately ten meters. In a mere seven minutes, the catastrophic tidal wave covered a distance of 32 kilometers, reaching Nuugaatsiaq.
A 7.2-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Alaska
Late Saturday, a massive 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the vicinity of the Alaska Peninsula. The United States Geological Survey reported that the quake was initially measured at 7.4 in magnitude, but it was later confirmed as 7.2.
The epicenter was located approximately 55 miles southwest of Sand Point, Alaska, according to preliminary data shared by the National Weather Service.
The earthquake triggered concerns about a potential tsunami, leading the National Weather Service in Anchorage to issue a brief tsunami warning. The warning indicated a risk of "significant inundation," prompting residents in the affected areas to be vigilant. However, the warning was later downgraded to an advisory and eventually canceled entirely early Sunday as the threat of a major tsunami diminished.
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