Åknes mountainside in Norway poses tsunami risk

The Åknes mountainside, located on the western side of the Sunnylvsfjord in Stranda, Norway, is undergoing continuous movement that poses a significant risk of a rockslide-induced tsunami. The unstable slope extends from an altitude of 100 to 900 meters, situated below a 1,500-meter mountain ridge.

Experts warn that if millions of cubic meters of rock were to fall into the fjord simultaneously, the resulting waves could rapidly spread through the fjord system. Such an event would threaten several inhabited areas, including Hellesylt and Geiranger, the latter of which is a UNESCO World Heritage site attracting nearly 300,000 tourists annually.

The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) monitors the site daily. To track even the smallest movements, a sophisticated network of instruments is in place, including geophone networks installed by NORSAR, seismometers, GPS, laser measuring tools, and radar sensors.