Tsunami alert in the Fjords!!

I kid you not! At first I thought this was a late April Fools then I did a little bit of research and it is a very real story.

The Geirangerfjord is one of the most visited sites in Norway and in 2005 was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is a stunning natural beauty that was carved by the retreat of glaciers. The fjord itself is 15km long and 1-2km wide with mountain peaks that reach almost 1300m at their tallest point.

Geirangerfjord and its deadly secret!

The two most notable waterfalls in the Geirangerfjord are Seven Sisters Falls and the Suitor (also called The Friar). Both falls face one another across the fjord, and the Suitor is said to be trying to woo the sisters opposite.

The Bridal Veil is another waterfall in the fjord, so named because it falls delicately over one rocky edge, and when seen backlit by the sun it has the appearance of a thin veil over the rocks.

I am sure most of you know most of the facts above but I bet that you did not know that Geirangerfjord is under constant threat from a Tsunami due to the mountain known as Akerneset which is found to the West of the fjord.

Akerneset is in serious danger of eroding into the fjord below and has developed a serious crack 900 metres above sea level. This crack is widening every year by around 3-20cm and scientists have predicted that almost 100 million cubic metres could fall off into the fjord below.

This would create a Tsunami 100 metres high and would destroy the towns of Hellesylt and Geiranger within minutes.

The last time a Tsunami occurred in this area was in 1934 in Tajfjord when waves reaching 64 metres killed over 40 people.

The good news though is that scientists have installed crackmeters and Akerneset is one of the most watched and monitored mountains in the world. The scientists hope to be able to give at least a 72 hour warning to the local inhabitants before the mountain erodes into the fjord.

The Norwegians not one to miss out on an opportunity even made a disaster movie called Bolgen Wave) and you can get a sneak preview here.