A landslide in Greenland caused by climate change has created a huge tsunami, causing the Earth to vibrate for 9 days, according to new studies by scientists from the University of California, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Giant waves caused by the tsunami slammed back and forth in a fjord in Greenland, sending vibrations around the globe, researchers say.
The study found that this movement of water was the cause of the mysterious global Earth vibrations that lasted 9 days and puzzled seismologists last September.
Invisible to the human eye, the landslide caused seawater to rise up to 200 meters into the air, with waves up to 110 meters high.
Researchers calculated that this wave, which rose along 10 km along the length of the fjord, decreased to 7 meters within a few minutes, and in the following days to several centimeters.
Scientists suggest that the landslide was triggered by the thinning of the glacier at the foot of the mountain, which was unable to hold the rock mass above it. Ultimately, according to the researchers, climate change was the cause, and the landslide and tsunami were the first of their kind observed in East Greenland.
The international team estimates that about 25 million cubic meters of rock and ice (enough to fill 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools) have collapsed into the fjord. The scientists also confirmed the size of the resulting tsunami - one of the largest observed in recent history - using digital simulations as well as local data and photographs.