The largest wave in history: over 1,700 feet and a devastating megatsunami, but when will the next one happen?

In 1958, a wall of water taller than the Empire State Building tore through Alaska’s Lituya Bay. Triggered by a magnitude 8.3 earthquake, 1,719 feet (524 meters) of churning water exploded into the sky after 90 million tons of rock and ice collapsed into the bay. It leveled everything in its path – forests, buildings, even two boats – and holds the grim title of the largest wave ever recorded.

Defining a megatsunami

It wasn’t the only one. These aren’t your average tsunamis. Once waves climb past 130 feet, they enter the terrifying territory of megatsunamis – a term that describes rare and often locally catastrophic events caused not just by earthquakes, but also by landslides, volcanic eruptions, or even meteorite impacts.

In her book Megatsunamis, Spanish geologist Mercedes Ferrer breaks down 31 such events in human history, from Alaska to the Italian Alps and Mexico’s rivers. These waves don’t travel far like traditional tsunamis; they hit hard, and close to home. That’s why they’ve often gone unnoticed by the wider world, despite their violence.

Take the 1963 Vaiont disaster in Italy: a colossal rockslide into a dam reservoir sent water more than 860 feet up the opposite slope. Over 2,000 people died in a manmade catastrophe that had been years in the making. Or Chiapas, Mexico in 2007, where heavy rains triggered a deadly landslide into the Grijalva River, generating a 165-foot wave that wiped a village clean off the map.

When will the next megatsunami happen?

The truth is that no one knows when the next one is coming. That’s the unnerving part. Megatsunamis don’t follow patterns, and the factors behind them – especially massive landslides - don’t leave much warning. What scientists like Jorge Macías in Málaga can do is simulate tsunamis after earthquakes and create rapid-response maps. But Ferrer admitted, as reported by Verónica M. Garrido reported in El País: “For landslide-triggered ones, there’s little we can do.”

With six megatsunamis recorded in the last quarter of a century, Ferrer notes their apparent rise may reflect better detection rather than more frequent events – but the possibility that melting ice and unstable slopes may add to the risk can’t be ruled out.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.