Tyndall Glacier flows to the head of Icy Bay, about 160 miles (258 km) east-southeast of Cordova and 68 miles (110 km) northwest of Yakutat, Alaska. The glacier was named by members of the New York Times Expedition of 1886 for John Tyndall, 1820- 1893, a British physicist and natural philosopher.
Taan Fjord is on the east side of Icy Bay, about 14 miles (22 km) north-northeast of Point Riou. The fjord was exposed by the recent retreat of Tyndall Glacier. The glacier is named after the Tlingit native word for “Sea Lion”. The rapid retreat of the glacier destabilized the steep slopes of the surrounding mountains and a massive landslide occurred on October 17, 2015.
The event generated a local mega-tsunami that sheared trees at an elevation of more than 500 feet (152.4 meters) on a peninsula within the fjord. Another massive landslide occurred in Glacier Bay National Park on June 28, 2016. Events such as this happen maybe three to five times per year around the world, and Southeast Alaska is the global hotspot. Read more here and here. Explore more of the Tyndall Glacier and Taan Fjord here:
