Did the Earth vibrate for 9 days? How the Greenland landslide pulsed the Earth worldwide for over a week

Amid Earth's vast, restless rhythms, there are some standout moments when nature reveals its raw power through surprising signals that go across continents.

Greenland's frozen landscapes hold many hidden stories, where towering mountains face off against the sea in an age-old balance.

When that balance breaks, the effects ripple across the world, together with geology, ocean dynamics, and our endless curiosity.


But did you know that one such massive ripple effect happened due to the impact of a mega-tsunami that sent pulses around the globe for nine days!

A massive landslide that caused a mega-tsunami

On September 16, 2023, over 25 million cubic yards of rock and ice, equivalent to 10,000 Olympic pools, crashed from a 3,000-foot cliff into Greenland's Dickson Fjord. The plunge triggered a 650-foot mega-tsunami that surged through the narrow, two-mile channel, slamming Ella Island's research station and causing $200,000 in damage.

Waters didn't settle, they rocked wall-to-wall in a seiche, rising and falling like a piston, up to 30 feet per cycle. Every 92 seconds, this motion pressed the seafloor, sending ultra-low-frequency vibrations worldwide, from Alaska to Australia, for nine days!

Signalling and vibrating for 9 days- But how?

Seismographs recorded smooth, repeating waves, unlike the jagged lines of typical earthquakes, leaving scientists puzzled at first. More than 70 researchers from 41 institutions pieced it together using satellite imagery, on-site measurements, and computer simulations.

According to an Earth article, “When we set out on this scientific adventure, everybody was puzzled, and no one had the faintest idea what caused this signal,” said Kristian Svennevig of Denmark's Geological Survey. “All we knew was that it was somehow associated with the landslide. We only managed to solve this enigma through a huge interdisciplinary and international effort.”

“It was exciting to be working on such a puzzling problem with an interdisciplinary and international team of scientists,” noted Robert Anthony of the U.S. Geological Survey. “Ultimately, it took a plethora of geophysical observations and numerical modeling from researchers across many countries to put the puzzle together.”

A changing climate could be risky

Glacier melt from warming air and seas impacted the slope's stability. “Climate change is shifting what is typical on Earth, and it can set unusual events into motion,” said Alice Gabriel of UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution.


Advanced satellites like SWOT mapped the fjord's wide swaths precisely. “Climate change is driving the emergence of unprecedented extremes, particularly in remote regions like the Arctic,” explained Thomas Monahan of Oxford.


The inputs of this article have been taken from research published in Science and Nature.