Earthquakes in Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay's impressive landscape is the result of plate tectonics. The region sits directly above a chaotic intersection of fault lines—credited for creating the region's stunning topography as well as wreaking some havoc more recently. On September 10, 1899, the area was rocked by a temblor registering 8.4 on the Richter scale. The quake, which had its epicenter in Yakutat Bay, rattled Glacier Bay so much that the entire bay was choked with icebergs.

On July 9, 1958, another earthquake—7.9 on the Richter scale—triggered an epic landslide in nearby Lituya Bay: 40 million cubic yards of rock tumbled into the bay, creating a tidal wave that reached 1,720 feet.