page_title: 1899 Yakutat Bay earthquakes
section_title: Effects on glaciers
hierarchical_section_title: 1899 Yakutat Bay earthquakes / Effects on glaciers
caption_attribution_description: English: Plate XXII from Tarr, R.S. The Earthquakes At Yakutat Bay Alaska In September 1899 showing glaciers that advanced up to 1906 through earthquake avalanching in 1899
context_page_description: During September 1899 there was a series of severe earthquakes in the region around Yakutat Bay in Alaska. The most powerful of these occurred on September 10 at about noon, local time. The area was sparsely populated and no fatalities were recorded, but the earthquakes were notable for the degree of elevation recorded, up to 47 feet, and for the effects on the glaciers in the region. Fieldwork on the effects of the earthquake was carried out between 1905 and 1910, and a summary report was published in 1912
context_section_description: The immediate effect of the earthquake on the glaciers of the Yukutat Bay region was shattering of the ice at the margins of the glaciers. This led to a release of many icebergs (which caused difficulties to the prospectors on their way to safety, and to ships arriving in the region in the days after the earthquake) and to the formation of deep crevasses, which made traverse of the ice impossible in areas that had been previously passable. Longer-term effects noted in the fieldwork were substantial advances in many of the icebergs close to the earthquake zone. Tarr and Martin attribute this to earthquake-induced avalanches in the mountainous areas above the glaciers leading to an increase in the snow and ice deposited on the upper parts of the glacier. This additional load would work is way down the track of the glacier over a period of years. By contrast, Muir Glacier, about 100 miles SE of Yakutat Bay, receded substantially in the years after the earthquake. The reasons for this are less clear.
caption: Map showing glaciers that advanced up to 1906 through earthquake avalanching in 1899
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