The glacier retreat caused by rising temperatures led to a rockslide of 25 million cubic meters into a fjord in Greenland, generating a wave 200 meters high. Its seismic signal was detected worldwide for 9 days
Climate change triggers “dangerous feedback loops” between ice, water, and rock
A landslide in the Dickson Fjord on Greenland’s eastern coast in September 2023 caused a mega-tsunami with waves reaching 200 meters in height and seismic waves detectable worldwide for 9 days. Scientists only recently linked this event to climate change.
On September 16, 2023, a “rock and ice avalanche” of 25 million cubic meters, triggered by glacier thinning, crashed into the Dickson Fjord. The material that fell into the water would be enough to fill 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The collapse instantly generated a wave estimated at 200 meters high – an enormous local tsunami that remained “trapped” within the narrow fjord. This containment is why the resulting seismic waves were detectable globally for 9 days.
The study, led by around 60 scientists and coordinated by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland in Copenhagen, highlights how climate change increasingly makes polar regions susceptible to large landslides. The Arctic regions are experiencing much higher warming rates compared to the global average.
Landslides like the one in September 2023 can be triggered by glacier debuttressing, where the progressive exposure of rock due to glacier retreat, permafrost degradation, and altered precipitation patterns contribute to such events. The study notes that climate change is causing dangerous cascading feedback loops between the cryosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
The collapsed mountain was supported by the glacier tongue occupying the valley floor. As the glacier thinned, it could no longer support the weight. According to Stephen Hicks, one of the study’s co-authors, “this event in the Dickson Fjord may be the first time a climate change event has impacted the Earth’s crust beneath our feet globally.”
